For some time, South Carolina has struggled with the question of how many oral health providers are needed in the state. Many dentists report low utilization rates, yet the number of people with oral health disease is alarming. Annual physical exams on children in public schools with at least half of their students enrolled in free or reduced lunch programs reveal dental carries as the most prevalent health problem. The South Carolina Medicaid Program the largest dental program for low income children, has traditionally reimbursed at rates too low for private dentists to actively participate.
Similar problems exist for the adult and geriatric populations of South Carolina.
Lack of preventive measures and insurance leave many with chronic oral health problems. Experts in the state are concerned about the existing oral health workforce. When they retire, presumably within the next 10 years, it is unknown where their replacements will come from. Methodology The South Carolina Budget and Control Board Bureau of Research and Statistics will determine dental service areas within South Carolina using utilization data. The center also will, through interviews with and data supplied by oral health stakeholders in South Carolina, prepare a research paper listing existing and potential barriers to producing and sustaining the optimal oral health workforce.