Atlanta, GA, Feb. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Benevis, a leading dental healthcare and orthodontics delivery organization committed to providing quality care to underserved communities, announced today a call to action for primary care physicians and clinicians across the care continuum to join forces to help families establish dental homes for Children’s Dental Health Month. Oral health is an essential part of an individual’s whole health, which is why a dental home—the ongoing relationship a child or family establishes with a dental provider, much like the one they have with their primary care doctor—is vital.
The need to help eliminate oral disease in U.S. children is dire. Cavities, also called tooth decay, are one of the most significant unmet health treatment needs, with over 52% of children having tooth decay by age eight and 25% having at least one cavity by four years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For disadvantaged patient populations such as children with Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage, the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute research found that 49% did not visit the dentist last year. To improve this care gap and prevent the early onset of dental disease, oral health should be integrated with primary care services for lifelong health.