Dental assistant Elizabeth Serrano, left, and Dr. Ryan Draiss work together at the Sarrell Dental and Eye Center in Boaz, Ala. The non-profit clinic provides dental care for children on Medicaid. The Sarrell clinic is considering expansion to other states, including Tennessee. Photo illustration.BY THE NUMBERSPercentage of adults who visited a dentist, dental hygienist or dental clinic within the past year:Chattanooga health system area 66.0Knoxville health system area 61.7Nashville health system area 68.6Rome, Ga., health system area 63.9United States median 69.7Percentage of adults ages 18-64 who have lost six or more teeth to decay, infection or gum disease:Chattanooga health system area 19.1Knoxville health system area 25.2Nashville health system area 16.1Rome, Ga., health system area 14.8United States median 10.1(The Chattanooga health system area includes parts of Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.)Source: The Commonwealth FundCOMING TUESDAYOnly about half the children in the nation enrolled in Medicaid programs have a dental visit every year.TO GET HELPChattanooga’s health centers provide adult dental services on a sliding cost scale.Dodson Avenue Community Health Center: 1200 Dodson Ave., 423-778-2700Southside Community Health Center: 100 E. 37th St., 423-778-2700REMOTE AREA MEDICAL CLINIC VISIT SETKnoxville-based Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps will provided free dental and medical care on Sept. 22 and 23 at Camp Joy in Hamilton County.
Tennessee’s dental health can be measured in so many ways:
Twenty percent of adults ages 18-64 have lost six or more teeth because of decay, infection or gum disease, twice the national median, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a health care advocacy group.
Only 66 percent visited a dentist or dental clinic in 2010, according to a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 53,000 visited a hospital emergency room for dental care in 2009, with about 24,000 of those visits for a preventable dental condition, according to a Pew Center study.