Children's Dental Shortages Fuel Major Access Problem
The issue brief Two Kinds of Dental Shortages Fuel One Major Access Problem by the Pew Children's Dental Campaign highlights the lack of access to basic dental care. Each year, an estimated 17 million children in the U.S. go without basic dental care. As a result, these kids miss more days of school and see their overall health suffer.
Each February, Children's Dental Health Month reminds Americans of the importance of proper dental hygiene—flossing, brushing their teeth and visiting a dentist regularly. For millions of people, however, seeing a dentist is a major challenge because they live in areas without a dentist or clinic, or they struggle to find dentists who accept Medicaid-enrolled patients.