More Patients Visit Emergency Room

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 23 January 2012 08:43



Many Americans are turning to the emergency room for dental care. A lack of dental insurance is the reason.

People without dental insurance are increasingly visiting the emergency room because they don’t have any other options. The issue is not a good one for many local medical services. Since many people don’t have the insurance coverage they once did, this is the result.

Dental care isn’t affordable for many people with low incomes or people who are unemployed. The risk of oral diseases, infections and pain is up dramatically because people don’t receive the regular treatment they had in the past.

The Medicaid provision isn’t very helpful for most people. There are 10 states that don’t even have Medicaid coverage for adults. That’s why many people can’t receive affordable dental care, forcing them to turn to other ways to get the care they need.

Based on this situation, free dental clinics are vital for many people. It’s also the reason the lines and wait times are so long when these events take place. The weather conditions don’t deter these people from waiting for the dental clinics because their care is so urgent.

This problem will likely only get worse in the future.

Lack of Dentists Causes Cancer Risk to Rise in South Africa

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 24 January 2012 11:29



People in South Africa are more at risk for mouth or throat cancer than they were in recent years. The reason is simple: there’s a shortage of dentists in the country.

There are fewer than 3,500 dentists who practicing in the entire country, according to the South African Dental Association. With that low number of dentists, there’s no conceivable way for people to visit the dentist regularly.

Some studies show that there are 500,000 people for each dentist in South Africa. Comparatively speaking, there is a dentist for about every 1,700 people in the United States—or slightly more or less, depending on the specific geography region.

With fewer dentists and dental visits, there are fewer chances to diagnose some type of mouth cancer or oral cancer.

There are some people that are going years between visits to the dentist. That problem, combined with smoking cigarettes and marijuana, are causing many issues for the country’s citizens. These issues are only compounded by unprotected sex and oral sex, which makes a person more susceptible to oral cancer.

The South African Dental Association states that the possibility of dying from some type of oral cancer is high based on the lack of dental visits. The reason is the cancer is diagnosed at a stage in which it’s too late to treat the problem because it has likely spread.

New Jersey Plans Possible Changes for Dental Colleges

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 26 January 2012 08:56



New Jersey will see alterations to the ways its dental schools are set up, according to a new proposal.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced the reorganization on Wednesday. Under the new plan, Rutgers University will add a medical school.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will be split up into Rutgers and Rowan universities throughout the state. The remnants of the Newark campus will eventually be called the New Jersey Health Sciences University.

Adding a medical school will enhance Rutgers' prestige and the way it's viewed.

UMDNJ, which currently has eight different schools, three campuses and the largest charity care hospital in New Jersey, had become too big, according to Christie.

There are other changes in the works if this one eventually gets enacted.