Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511300027
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANNE B. HUTCHERSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
All too frequently, Virginia Western dental-hygiene students work with people motivated to improve their oral health, but who are unable to seek restorative care because of a lack of money, available providers or a combination of both.
In addition to the working poor and children mentioned in the article, other population groups, including the institutionalized mentally ill, the developmentally disabled and the elderly in nursing homes, suffer from lack of access to oral health care. Fifty percent of the U.S. population does not receive regular dental care. According to the Journal of Public Health, more than 150 million people in the United States have no dental insurance, and 20.5 million workdays and 117,000 school hours are lost annually because of dental disease.
The Bradley Free Clinic and the Roanoke Valley Dental Society are to be applauded for ongoing efforts to reach the underserved populations in the Roanoke Valley. Many committed professionals have given their time and talents to serving those in need. While alleviating pain and providing dental fillings are greatly needed services, education about and prevention of oral disease are key to improving oral health. A resource for both oral-health education and preventive care, available to everyone in the Roanoke Valley at no cost, is the VWCC Dental Hygiene Clinic.
Dental-hygiene students, working under the supervision of licensed dental hygiene faculty members, have been providing preventive oral-health care - including oral-cancer examinations, oral-health education, nutritional counseling, application of sealants, teeth cleaning and exposing dental X-rays - for more than 15 years. The clinic operates 12-18 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters. Unfortunately, those with the greatest needs often are least able to take time from work because of the impact of lost income. Access also is a problem.
One way to increase access would be to remove regulatory restrictions that limit the ability of licensed dental hygienists to practice without a dentist present. Virginia is one of a few remaining states with this requirement.
Thirty-eight of the 50 states allow dental hygienists to practice under the "general direction" of a dentist, permitting preventive care to be provided without a dentist present. Dental hygienists in these states have established a record of safe practice and expanded availability of preventive services. Research regarding the quality of care and the safety and efficacy of care provided by hygienists under general direction support this practice.
Dental hygienists are college-educated, completing a minimum of two years of accredited education focused on recognition, prevention and treatment of oral diseases, and are licensed by the state. They are educated to recognize conditions requiring treatment by a dentist, and to practice in conjunction with a dentist. Nurses, physical therapists, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants all practice under general direction/supervision, extending access to care, lowering costs and supporting a focus on wellness and health.
A need for both preventive and restorative dental services obviously exists in the Roanoke Valley. There is a solution to the education and prevention component of this health dilemma: using licensed dental hygienists to the full extent of their education. The Virginia Board of Dentistry, a body created to protect the health of the public, has the power to reform Virginia's regulations.
Anne B. Hutcherson is an associate professor and head of the dental-hygiene program at Virginia Western Community College, and a member of the Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform for the Virginia Board of Dentistry.
by CNB