CincySmiles Foundation

4 out of 10 People Forgo Visiting the Dentist Due to Cost

Cost and lack of dental coverage is a major factor influencing oral health in the U.S. The national survey on oral health shows 4 out of 10 adults in the U.S. say cost is the main reason they don’t visit the dentist with an oral health problem like a toothache or loose teeth “in the past six months.”
Fear was the motivating factor to forgo the dentist for only 1 in 10 adults when they had an oral health problem.
People with Medicaid were almost five times as likely as adults with private health insurance to have poor oral health.
2008 National Health Interview Survey
Researchers found several health and economic factors were related to oral health and frequency of dentist visits. For example:
· People with diabetes were nearly twice as likely to have worse oral health than others the same age without diabetes (29% vs. 16%).
· People with diabetes were also nearly twice as likely as those without diabetes to have not visited a dentist in more than five years.
· Those in poor families were more than twice as likely as adults in families that were not poor to have worse oral health than others (28% vs. 13%).
· Among those with one or more mouth or tooth problems, more than half who were uninsured had an unmet dental need due to cost, vs. one-tenth of those with private health insurance.
Education also plays a role in overall oral health. The study shows people with less than a high school diploma were nearly twice as likely to have poorer oral health than others their age (39% vs. 20%).
WebMD Health News.

Getting at-risk children dental care is important to all of us.  No one wants a child to be in pain, have low self-esteem, do poorly in school, or have infections in their bodies stemming from dental issues.  Now you can do something to help!

This Saturday, August 18, CincySmiles will be competing against four (4) other nonprofits for a brand new Toyota van. The one with the most “Like” votes on Saturday wins the van.

CincySmiles.org volunteers and staff drive thousands of miles each year providing dental services for at-risk children and their families throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.  The demand for their services is exceeding their capability to serve. A new vehicle will help them see more needy children and individuals.

“We are very excited about the opportunity,” says Paul Rudolph, CincySmiles Director of Operations. “The economy has really had an impact on our funding.  This vehicle would mean so much to our organization and the families we serve. As a community, we all need to have children with good dental health.  A new van will allow us to improve the lives of more children in need throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. We hope everyone will vote for us on August 18th”

Here’s how you can help:
Log onto your Facebook account (or sign up for a Facebook account)
Go to www.100carsforgood.com
Voting is open 10am until 12 Midnight on Saturday, August 18.
Scroll down and click on “CincySmiles”
Click “Vote” – only one vote per individual person
Share with all your Facebook Friends!
You will receive a pop up asking you to confirm your vote.

Thank you for helping CincySmiles.org and the entire Greater Cincinnati community.

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