Health-care officials on Wednesday welcomed Sen. Charles Schumer's efforts to address the shortage of dentists in upstate New York.
As the costs of health care continue to rise across the country, Schumer said, access to dental care for children and families across the state is being threatened. There are about 33,000 children without dental insurance in the Southern Tier.
He discussed his support for the Deamonte Driver Dental Care Access Improvement Act of 2008 _ a proposed comprehensive bill introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio _ during a Wednesday afternoon telephone conference. The bill is named for a 12-year-old state of Maryland boy who died from a tooth infection that spread to his brain.
Among the incentives in the bill: tax credits to dentists of up to $5,000 for treating Medicaid, CHIP and uninsured patients; grants to dental programs that offer additional training in pediatrics to dental students, dentists, hygienists and other health professionals; and grants to federally qualified community health centers to expand dental services for children and adults. There is also a component to promote public education and awareness.
Sidney dentist Scott Benjamin said that if approved, the measures are needed to address the shortage of dental professionals in the tri-county area. But, he added, "it's a drop in the bucket."
In speaking of dental care, Schumer said, "The people who need it the most _ kids who live in cities, rural towns and tiny, underserved communities _ are being left out of a system that is plagued by rising health insurance costs and a limited number of dentists to provide care."
The legislation is an effort to make sure that children and their families "in every pocket of upstate New York" have access to oral care that is "comprehensive, affordable and consistent," he said.
Benjamin said the problems have become systemic and include the high cost of education _ about $350,000 for dental schooling _ lower fees in upstate New York and a Medicaid system that often pays clinicians less than the cost of a procedure.
Benjamin, 55, said that he has tried unsuccessfully to attract a younger dentist to his practice, but with higher fees available in the cities, he has been unable to do so.
He does not take new Medicaid patients, but continues to treat those already in his 1,800-person practice.
The number of patients in Benjamin's practice is around the average for upstate, Schumer said, where there is one clinician for every 1,716 people, according to the state Department of Health. Those professionals, however, are often distributed unevenly, he said, leaving some areas with less care. In addition, the average age of dentists is rising, with nearly 90 percent being older than 40.
At FoxCare Dental Associates, an A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital-affiliated dental clinic in Oneonta, "it is bursting at the seams with patients," according to spokeswoman Maggie Barnes. This is in part because the clinic is authorized to accept Medicaid along with other types of insurance.
To address the shortage, Barnes said, more needs to be done to get people into dental schools. The same problem exists in other health-care fields, from doctors to radiology technicians, she said.
"There is no one going into health-care careers," she said, and the shortages that are being experienced, particularly in rural regions, will only get worse unless something is done.
Oneonta dentist Donald Lynd said he would like to know more about financing the proposed bill, but he agreed that upstate needs more clinicians. The costs of the proposal were being worked on Wednesday night, according to a Schumer representative.
Lynd, 54, does not take Medicaid patients because, in a solo practice, his core clients keep him busy, he said. He said he has not been able to retain younger associates.
The legislation being proposed was fine, said practicing pediatrician Dr. Chris Kjolhede, director of the school-based health centers that are part of Bassett Healthcare. The centers provide an array of services for students in grades K-12 at participating schools.
But he said he would like to see more of an emphasis on prevention, to address the "epidemic of poor dental hygiene" he has seen. The centers focus on providing dental exams, cleaning and fluoridation for second and fifth graders, if parents OK it, he said. Centers also will provide care for anyone referred by physicians or nurses.
Kjolhede said he would like to see more emphasis on recruiting registered dental hygienists who could provide preventative measures, but "anything that happens is better than what we have now."
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