Mary Otto has explored the separation of dental and health treatments in her latest book, Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America. In the US, the distinct insurance and care given to oral health and general health can be lethal if the connections between the two are not made in time. Dentistry originally became a separate profession to general healthcare in 1840s Baltimore, and the separation has been maintained since, from education up to treatment and insurance. Otto believes that the divide is due to the marketplace and the desire to maintain professional autonomy, rather than viewing the separation as detrimental to healthcare provision. Over a million US citizens a year visit the emergency department for dental issues, costing over a billion dollars annually. The increased difficulty of gaining dental insurance because of the separation of oral and general health has led to a gap in dental care provision for many Americanss. Despite the stereotype of a healthy “Americans smile”, dental care is still perceived as being optional, with basic care being neglected. Plans to change the situation are largely to force the system to pay more for care, with organized dentistry believing that the current supply of practitioners is enough, despite a dearth of rural care. Otto believes that to truly tackle the issue, a reform in dentistry and an integration of oral care into general health care will be necessary.
Mary Otto has explored the separation of dental and health treatments in her latest book, Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America. In the US, the distinct insurance and care given to oral health and general health can be lethal if the connections between the two are not made in time. Dentistry originally became a separate profession to general healthcare in 1840s Baltimore, and the separation has been maintained since, from education up to treatment and insurance. Otto believes that the divide is due to the marketplace and the desire to maintain professional autonomy, rather than viewing the separation as detrimental to healthcare provision. Over a million US citizens a year visit the emergency department for dental issues, costing over a billion dollars annually. The increased difficulty of gaining dental insurance because of the separation of oral and general health has led to a gap in dental care provision for many Americans. Despite the stereotype of a healthy “American smile”, dental care is still perceived as being optional, with basic care being neglected. Plans to change the situation are largely to force the system to pay more for care, with organized dentistry believing that the current supply of practitioners is enough, despite a dearth of rural care. Otto believes that to truly tackle the issue, a reform in dentistry and an integration of oral care into general health care will be necessary.