Sanders addresses dental crisis

Posted Friday, March 9, 2012 8:59 pm

NEAL P. GOSWAMI

Staff Writer

BENNINGTON -- Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is holding a town meeting in Montpelier today as part of his effort to tackle what he has labeled a dental crisis.

Sanders is planning to discuss the lack of affordable dental care available to many Vermonters and Americans today at Montpelier High School. In a telephone interview Friday, Sanders said the crisis is growing and leading to a variety of health issues for millions of people.

"130 million Americans"

"Bottom line is, dental care is extremely expensive. We have about 130 million Americans who have no dental insurance. We talk often about the fact that about 50 million Americans have no health insurance," he said.

According to Sanders, a quarter of adults in the U.S. who are 65 or older have lost all of their teeth. "A lot of folks are going around with no teeth, with dentures," Sanders said.

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And "many millions of low-income kids don't see a dentist at all," he said. The lack of even basic dental care can lead to other issues now and later in life for those kids, Sanders said.

"It's not just a pretty smile. If your teeth are in bad shape it can cause infections, it can cause digestion problems, it can cause a whole host of health problems," he said.

Additionally, poor dental care can often prevent people from securing work. "If somebody is looking for a job and they walk into an employer and they have no teeth or are missing teeth, I think everybody knows that it's going to be harder for that person to get that job. It's like a badge of poverty," Sanders said.

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The Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, which is lead by Sanders, has held hearings on the issue. Some strides have been made in helping low- and middle-income people secure care, according to Sanders.

Molly Stark Elementary School in Bennington was the first school in Vermont to feature a dental clinic.

"I learned a lot from that. From that idea, from what (former elementary school Principal Sue Maguire, now principal of Mount Anthony Union high school) did, we have expanded that in Burlington and Swanton," Sanders said.

Community health centers in Vermont have also expanded, delivering more dental care to those in need. "In the last six or seven years we have seen the growth of community health centers around the state, and that means we have seen either brand new state-of-the-art dental clinics or expanded clinics," Sanders said. "Right now, about 25,000 Vermonters are getting their dental care through community health center clinics."

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Yet major hurdles remain. There are not enough students in dental school to offset the number of retiring dentists, Sanders said. And many dentists are no longer accepting Medicaid patients.

Comprehensive legislation is needed to begin addressing the problem, Sanders said. He said it should include provisions to allow some dental work to be completed by hygienists. Medicaid reimbursements for dentists should also receive a boost, he said.

Additionally, Sanders said Congress should include funding for dentists to help cover student loans. In return, those dentists would work in under-served areas. Continued expansion of community health centers and a more aggressive push to add dental clinics in schools is also needed, according to Sanders.

Members of Congress are beginning to recognize the problem, Sanders said, but more awareness is necessary.

"I think there is a growing consciousness, but it did not get the kind of attention I think it deserved during the health care debate," he said.

Today's town meeting is set to begin at 11 a.m.

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