From the minute the doors opened at the Rice Regional Dental
Clinic in Willmar, Minn., late in 2007, it was clear there was
an overwhelming need for access to dental care, especially among
low-income adults and children. The staff reported being
inundated with phone calls for appointments. For anyone who has
ever visited the dental clinic or is familiar with the services
it provides, it surely must have been no surprise when the
Institute of Medicine issued a report this week on the state of
oral health care for America’s low-income and vulnerable
citizens. The report’s main conclusion: Millions of Americans
are not receiving necessary dental care because of “persistent
and systemic” barriers. Children, seniors, minorities and the
poor are especially affected. Perhaps the most compelling point
of the report is this: Although dental care is a basic need for
people of all ages, it’s one of the areas in which disparities
are the widest. The authors wrote, More than half of the
population does not visit a dentist