The challenge of meeting the dental care needs of low-income California adults with the current dental workforce
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Health policy brief (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research)
- Author(s):
- Pourat, Nadereh, author Ortega-Verdugo, Paula, author Ditter, Maria, author
- Contributor(s):
- UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Los Angeles, CA : UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, June 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Dental Health Services -- supply & distribution Health Services Needs and Demand Health Workforce Poverty California United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Access to oral health care, particularly for low-income individuals who face financial and other barriers to access, depends in part on the availability and practice characteristics of dentists. We measured both the need for oral health care among low-income California adults and the characteristics of practicing dentists using multiple sources, including the California Health Interview Survey and Dental Board of California data. We found a low supply of working dentists in several regions that had high rates of low income adults; a small proportion of dentists who provided dental visits under Medi-Cal; a significant number of dentists nearing retirement age; and an underrepresentation of Latinx and Black dentists in comparison to the low-income communities they serve. The findings presented in this policy brief highlight the need for policies that improve access, including increasing the participation of dentists in Medi-Cal, training more dentists from underrepresented communities of color, and increasing the capacity for dental care in areas with few dentists.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (7 pages, 1 unnumbered page))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918316186806676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918316186806676