Klipsan clinic is working to improve local access to dental care

Lack of access to medical doctors often is cited as a major challenge to rural communities and a leading handicap in economic development. But dental care also is in short supply, a problem with huge impacts on health and quality of life.

In a nation where television and magazines are populated by celebrities sporting perfect teeth, or at least mouthfuls of expensive porcelain caps, it’s a shame all people can’t at least afford basic checkups, fillings and other maintenance.

Expense isn’t the only barrier to obtaining dental care. On the Peninsula, for example, there are only one full-time and two part-time dentists for a population of more than 12,000. Some patients obtain care in Clatsop County, but it’s safe to say that thousands here go from one year to the next without a dental visit.

The Family Health Center at Klipsan Beach is applying for federal and foundation grants to bring additional dental care to the Peninsula. Though these services will be available to everyone, they will especially benefit low-income individuals and families, with or without Medicaid. The uninsured will be eligible for FHC’s sliding-fee plan, basing fees on income and other factors.

According to the state, just 1,363 of our 4,809 people eligible for Medicaid had dental care in 2002. Many others who only make enough to get by also fell through the cracks.

Children are the most vulnerable to dental problems, with lifetime consequences. For example, 42 percent of Peninsula Headstart students have dental needs. Cavities, also known as dental caries, are the most common chronic disease of childhood. By third grade, over half of Washington’s children have them.

For children and adults alike, poor oral health and untreated dental conditions harm quality of life, resulting in needless pain, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, increased costs of care, lost work and school days, and loss of self-esteem.

Ask most senior citizens about their regrets, and not taking care of their teeth will often be a response. These are problems that only get worse with time, resulting 298 trips to the Ocean Beach Hospital emergency room this year alone. Sixty-three percent of these were by people insured by the state, or not insured at all.

So FHC’s plan to expand dental care here is admirable and timely.

What can we all do to help?

Write a letter in support of FHC’s grant applications, by Dec. 20, to Arlene LaVigne, clinic manager, Family Health Center, P.O. Box 548, Ocean Park, WA 98640.

Make this part of the giving program for your family, church, civic group or other organization. For example, $65 can pay for an exam and X-rays for a child whose family can’t afford care.

If all goes well, FHC plans to complete clinic renovations and offer dental services no later than next Aug. 31. Let’s help them meet that goal.