October JADA had as its cover story, "Improving America’s Access to Care: The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Addresses Oral Health Disparities," by Dr. Peter Milgrom and colleagues.
It is well-recognized that, for 7.5 million Americans with intellectual disabilities and for approximately 52 million Americans with disabilities, access to and the ability to receive quality dental care is the number one health problem they face. In spite of this fact, nowhere in this report is this population recognized.
In 2000, the first surgeon general’s report on oral health1 was released. It was only after last-minute, significant effort on the part of a number of concerned people that some minor references were made to the needs of people with a vast array of disabilities.
In 2001, Surgeon General David Satcher, realizing that this negligence had occurred, held the first ever "Surgeon General’s Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation."2 At this historic conference, four health care issues for people with intellectual disabilities were addressed, emphasizing areas that need to be improved:
- increasing access to quality care;
- improving health care provider education and training;
- providing a comprehensive approach to the delivery of care across the life span;
- reducing the stigma associated with mental retardation in conjunction with an increase in public awareness.
In particular, the surgeon general noted the lack of oral health care research devoted to the disparity of health care among people with disabilities.
Despite repeated appeals by people with disabilities, their advocates, organizations and commissions, all too often the dental profession offers, at best, limited attention to these people with special needs. One cannot but question these omissions in such a major presentation as this JADA article on the oral health needs of various populations.
TOP
REFERENCES
