Free Dental Clinics to the Rescue in Southwest Virginia
There are many disparities in Southwest Virginia when it comes to dental care. Most people have probably heard the stereotypes about “hillbillies” in Appalachia not having teeth. Even though this is a stereotype, it is a harsh reality for some people living in southwest Virginia who have no access to dental care. This is usually because they do not have insurance to cover the expenses of going to the dentist or there simply is no dentist around. Recently, free clinics have been helping many people in Appalachia get the dental treatments they desperately need, but cannot afford. Volunteer doctors and dentists are doing this work and patients can be seen free of charge. For my project, I am looking at why southwest Virginia has such poor dental health and what is being done to help the region.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, Southwest Virginia has the largest amount of untreated caries, also known as tooth decay, in the state. In Virginia, 15.4 percent of children have tooth decay. This amount more than doubles in Southwest Virginia where 34.4 percent of children have untreated tooth decay (“Brushing Is Fun”). This says a lot about the overall dental health of southwest Virginia because the children are the future of the region and if they are starting out with bad dental health, it will most likely stay this way their whole life. Lack of dental insurance is a tremendous problem that plagues the region. 14.9% of nonelderly adult Southwest Virginians (19–64) were uninsured in 2016 (“Virginia Health Care Foundation”). If a person is uninsured they are most likely not going to have annual checkups, where most dental caries are detected early. Even if the uninsured person has a dental emergency, they will not go to the dentist because of the high cost. There is also a shortage of dental health professionals in many areas of Southwest Virginia. 15.6 percent of Virginia’s population lives in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas and 9.1 Percent of the population is underserved. These areas are highly concentrated in Southwest Virginia (Rephann and Wanchek 7). Another cause of the oral health disparities and delayed dental care in southwest Virginia is dental fear. Some people are so afraid of going to the dentist that they would rather be in pain than go to the dentist and have a procedure done. This can be a big problem because parents will pass their dental fears onto their children, which perpetuates the cycle of poor dental health in the region (Wiener).
Despite the dental health disparities in Southwest Virginia, there are many efforts to bring relief to the area. For example, Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation awarded VTC School of Medicine $100,000 for a pilot program that enables health care providers to administer preventative procedures that will help children who lack dental insurance. These procedures include oral health examinations and fluoride application. Even though this may seem small, it will make a large impact in the future dental health of the children because fluoride greatly strengthens teeth and prevents dental caries (“Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation”). Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinics also bring help to those without insurance in areas where healthcare and dental care is inaccessible. They are usually set up on fairgrounds in rural areas. RAM provides many services including dental cleanings, fillings, and extractions all offered for free. This clinic requires many hours and volunteers to set up. People who hope to be seen line up hours before the gates open in order to obtain a ticket with a number assigned for services (Courier). Programs like this make a huge impact in the lives of people who cannot afford dental services.
Southwest Virginia is in desperate need of help when it comes to dental health. People living in this region are underserved and uninsured. They also fear going to the dentist because of the cost and the anxiety associated with it. Free clinics and other helpful programs make an immense difference in the lives of southwest Virginians, but there is still much more work to be done. In the future, I would like to see more dentists and free clinics in rural areas. Free clinics are helping people access dental care, but they are not addressing the structural issues of dental disparities in rural areas.
The pictures below were taken in Wise County at Remote Area Medical Clinics set up on a fairground. The first picture was taken in July 2014 and the following six pictures were taken in July 2017. They tell a story of a population in distress. Southwest Virginians are in dire need of help and it cannot come soon enough.
Bibliography
“Brushing Is Fun.” United Way of Southwest Virginia, unitedwayswva.org/brushing-is-fun/.
Courier, Zach Irby Bristol Hearold. “RAM Clinic Returning to Wise on July 21–23 with Free Dental, Medical and Eye Care.” The Health Wagon, 9 July 2017, thehealthwagon.org/hwwp/2017/07/09/ram-clinic-returning-to-wise-on-july-21–23-with-free-dental-medical-and-eye-care/.
“Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation Awards VTC School of Medicine $100,000 for Pilot Program.” Virginia Tech Daily | Virginia Tech, 13 Feb. 2018, vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/02/vtcsom-deltadentalnewgift.html.
Dvorak, Petula. “At a Huge Free Medical Clinic in Southwest Virginia, Misery That Shouldn’t Exist.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 18 July 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/local/at-a-huge-free-medical-clinic-in-southwest-virginia-misery-that-shouldnt-exist/2014/07/18/79c62f28-0eb5-11e4-8c9a-923ecc0c7d23_story.html?utm_term=.f30410bad4fb.
“Mobile Medical Clinics Deliver Needed Care in Virginia.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 25 July 2017, www.yahoo.com/news/mobile-medical-clinics-deliver-needed-slideshow-wp-201053686/photo-p-children-sit-against-fence-photo-201053286.html.
Rephann, Terance J., and Tanya Nicole Wanchek “Oral Health in Virginia: Trends, Disparities, and Policy Implications”. The Virginia News Letter: vol. 88, no. 4. August 2012.
“Virginia Health Care Foundation.” Virginia Health Care Foundation | Community Health Trends, www.vhcf.org/data/profile-of-the-uninsured/.
Wiener, R Constance. “Dental Fear and Delayed Dental Care in Appalachia-West Virginia” Journal of dental hygiene : JDH vol. 89,4 (2015): 274–81.
