When Lexington resident Carrie Cornett signed her daughter up for the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program, she figured that finding care for Chelsea's dental problems would be simple. It didn't turn out that way. Experiences like Cornett's are all too common in Kentucky, experts said yesterday. And they're typical of the facts behind a national silent epidemic of cavities, oral cancer and other oral diseases afflicting low-income and minority Americans, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher reported yesterday.
Appalachian children are the least likely youngsters in America to see a dentist.
Many Kentuckians lack dental insurance, can't afford dental care or simply don't see dental care as a high priority. Cigarette smoking, in which Kentucky leads the nation, smokeless tobacco use and heavy drinking all contribute to oral-health problems. These can contribute to cancer, heart disease and other problems. Even when youngsters are eligible for Medicaid, as many as 80 percent don't get dental care because too few dentists accept Medicaid patients. Nearly half of all poor African-Americans and Hispanics have untreated tooth decay.