Too few kids getting preventive dental care, reports say

More than half of California’s emergency room visits for dental problems are from kids younger than 6, but only a little more than a third of children in this age group are receiving preventive care, according to a recent report.

This means children are not getting the recommended dental care, experts say, and the most vulnerable are low-income children enrolled in Denti-Cal, a public insurance program under Medi-Cal.

The January report card, published by the advocacy group Children Now, highlights that while 55 percent of California’s poor children are enrolled in the state’s Denti-Cal program, fewer than half received dental care in 2015.

The report gave the state a “D+” grade in overall oral health. The mark comes at a time when tooth decay is being recognized as a one of the more common chronic illnesses among young children.

In Merced County, 82 percent of children visited the dentist in 2014, a drop from the 88 percent that went to a dentist in 2012, according to the latest local data provided by Children Now.

A second report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services examined access to dental care in four states, including California. State health officials, according to this report, expressed concern about the lack of providers available to treat children with Denti-Cal. Shortages are especially a problem in rural areas, the report stated.

Dr. Ronald Inge, chief dental officer at Western Dental, said a major factor contributing to the shortage of dentists is that California has one of nation’s lowest Denti-Cal reimbursement rates. It offers only about one-third of the rate of private insurers – meaning fewer dentists are willing to participate in Denti-Cal.

Despite the low rates, Western Dental has continued to see Denti-Cal patients in all of its 160 offices, including the one in Merced.

When children do not receive preventive oral care, it can lead to larger and costly problems, Inge said. For one, if a child is visiting an emergency room for dental problems, he or she is missing school and not focusing on academics.

Absences also translate into parents skipping work and schools losing funding. The Children Now report highlighted research showing that 500,000 dental-related school absences cost schools $30 million each year.

Locally, clinics, such as Golden Valley Health Centers, also see Denti-Cal patients. Golden Valley has dental clinics in Merced, Los Banos and Planada.

Lisa Swenson, chief dental officer at Golden Valley, explained that while the health centers do follow Denti-Cal guidelines, the reimbursement procedure is a bit different and low rates are less of a problem. However, access to dental services continues to be an issue because of high demand. The Merced office is currently in the process of expanding from six chairs to 15 in an attempt to accommodate more patients. She anticipates the expansion to be done by 2017.

In regards to California’s poor rankings in oral health, Swenson said it is not too surprising.

“We have a lot of people coming in and out of the state … and most come with very little health knowledge,” she said. “We try to educate parents very early, from when the mom gets pregnant. But there’s always room to improve the education piece.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Too few kids getting preventive dental care, reports say."