Introduction

The implication of poor oral health has minimized the progress of the healthy development of children in society. High rates of tooth decay were noted among the children in Medicaid, more specifically to the African-American and Latinos population. These occurrences happen amidst visiting the dental clinics more often with their insurance coverage. The research shows that African-American children enter a low score in the number of children who attend dentists as compared to white children regular visits to dentists Arora, Garima, et al¹. The intervals to which the children visit their dentists, the Latinos and the African American children take longer ranges than the white children in Medicaid. The essay seeks to explain the disparities and emphasize Medicaid’s capability of normalizing the inequalities in dental care access and healthcare at large.  

Part B

Lack of proper dental care has been classified as one of the health monsters that the American children suffer from. It is a chronic condition that can only be resolved through treatment and nothing else. The report states that over 1.5 million American children miss school as a result of dental diseases. Also, children who come from unstable financially families’ record-low attendance to the dental clinics compared to the children from economically stable families due to high medication costs Assari, and Shervin². The consequences of tooth decay are associated with pain, nutritional problems, infections, poor concentration in school, sleep deprivation that eventually affects the learning outcomes of the children. Frequent access to medical attention is the only option to change and improve the dental health situations of children. As a result, it will intensify the quality of life for all American children.  Also, lowering the financial cost to be at the level every member of the society can afford regardless of their racial and ethnical background.

Several alarms have been raised about national oral health. Instead, there is still a high prevalence of tooth decay concerns among children registered with Medicaid under private insurance. These children do not meet the threshold of seeing the dentists regularly. From the statistical data obtained from the national archives stated that children under the private cover of Medicaid had a better chance of visiting dental care than the children with the public shelter. It provided a clear distinction between the rich and the sick children, the black and the white Americans. Moreover, the doctors noticed the gap between the publicly and privately covered children’s’ intervals of seeing their dentists Delgado-Angulo et al³. The need to address the ethical and racial disparities and as well set standardized medical charges that if affordable to all the members in the society.

Part C

The United States Health Department and Human Service set a national health objective in 2010. These objectives were placed with a vision of attaining better dental health equality throughout the American land by 2020. The reach to every tribe and race increased the chances of providing preventive care such as fluoride and sealant treatment immediately the new tooth grows. Besides, they aimed at providing the most efficient and early treatment of tooth decay and other tooth diseases Huang, Deborah and Mijung Park⁴. Today, the combined effort of Medicaid and other registered insurance companies that deal with dental health meet after every six months to provide a dental cover to each other. This is done to better the dental health outcomes of the children across all diversity.

The frequency of visits to dental doctors by the children under Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance has not yet been determined due to the assumption of medical follow up by the companies. As well, it has not been determined the level of health disparity or children from different races, ethnic backgrounds, and the financial status of the children under their cover Warren, John J., et al⁵. In an attempt to dig dip into this matter, we have analyzed the disparities between the children under the protection of public and private insurance coverage and extended the research into the ethnic and racial segregation.

In conclusion, dental health is one of the contributing factors to a child’s mental health. Their performances in school are reflected in the entire physical health. Dental health has faulty consequences to a child’s health, such as pain, infection, sleep deprivation, poor concentration, and many other symptoms. The regular dental checkups should be encouraged to every child regardless of his or her financial, racial, and ethnic states. The department of health thus needs to reinforce policies that favor ensuring every child either by the public or private sector.

References

1. Arora, Garima, et al. “Ethnic differences in oral health and use of dental services: a cross-sectional study using the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey.” BMC oral health1 (2017): 1.
2. Assari, Shervin. “Socioeconomic status and self-rated oral health; diminished return among Hispanic whites.” Dentistry journal2 (2018): 11.
3. Delgado-Angulo, Elsa K., Eduardo Bernabé, and Wagner Marcenes. “Ethnic inequalities in dental caries among adults in East London.” Journal of Public Health2 (2015): e55-e62.
4. Huang, Deborah L., and Mijung Park. “Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic oral health disparities among US older adults: oral health quality of life and dentition.” Journal of public health dentistry2 (2015): 85-92.
5. Warren, John J., et al. “Timing of primary tooth emergence among US racial and ethnic groups.” Journal of public health dentistry4 (2016): 259-262.
6. Weatherspoon, Darien J., et al. “Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer incidence trends and disparities in the United States: 2000–2010.” Cancer Epidemiology4 (2015): 497-504.