1. Barriers to Dental Care for the Hispanic Population in the U.S.

2. Who Cares, Theyre Just Teeth Short term consequences: Abscesses Premature loss of teeth (children) Causes adult teeth to come in improperly Systemic spread of disease Costlier care Long term consequences Loss of permanent teeth Speech, nutrition, economic productivity, quality of life

3. Who Cares, Theyre Just Teeth Regular Dental Visits: Check for oral cancer Check for signs of other systemic diseases Viral or bacterial infections Vitamin deficiencies Osteoporosis

4. Growing Population, Unmet Need Fastest growing minority in U.S. 14% in 2005, 29% in 2050 Largest minority group among children Highest rate of untreated tooth decay Lowest level of dental visits Tooth decay in 43% of Hispanic children 6 to 8 26% in non-Hispanic counterparts

5. Availability of Care Not enough rural dentists Hard to find transportation Few evening/weekend hours

6. Affordability of Care Near-poor families who dont qualify for Medicaid often do not have insurance Majority of Hispanic children eligible for Medicaid 1 in 5 of eligible are enrolled in Medicaid Not enough dentists accepting Medicaid (Availability) (10%) Cant afford it Complex problems

7. Accessibility of Care Language Barrier Not enough bilingual professionals Shortage of bilingual staff Communication problematic with volunteer interpreters Prejudices Negative attitudes towards poor in general Staff and dentists alike Dentists ruder than physicians

8. Other Barriers Fear of immigration officials Do not perceive need (Education) Share stories of bad experiences Language barrier Prejudices

9. Quality of Care Area of further study

10. Oral Health Education Sugary foods and drinks Cheaper to eat healthier than to treat tooth decay Tooth decay from prolonged use of baby bottle Oral hygiene habits Start young Parents dont know when children should start seeing dentist 6 months after first tooth Importance of preventative care Dont wait for symptoms

11. What Dentists can Do Availability Extend clinic hours Less travel time Accessibility and Education Eliminate discriminative attitudes Get patients to spread word among family and friends http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z75pC-jg-jI

12. What Dentists and Communities can Do Accessibility Distribute list of Spanish-speaking providers Sealant programs at schools Education Audio/visuals, oral communication Regionalisms in language Nutrition fairs Presentations at community organizations Refrigerator magnets, posters Slideshows for local health providers and organizations Songs for preschoolers Train AmeriCorp students/local youth volunteers to be oral health promoters Programs for radio stations

13. What Dental Schools Can Do Clinical experiences at rural clinics Community service practicum More training in pediatric dentistry

14. What ADA and AMA Can Do Allow hygienists to do more Train pediatricians to do oral health screening Have pediatricians refer patients to dentists