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Some of the health problems for the elderly can be addressed by creating a Mobile Dental Service. The solution for the medical & dental issues are already achieved by countries like U.K. and Canada with legislation mandating universal health care. Development of a Geriatric dentistry program can be very challenging because the elderly patient population is equally challenging. The major justification for a Mobile Dental Clinic Service Program is the difficulty experienced by the elderly to obtain dental service. In the world where the dentistry is powered by Sick-Care instead of preventive care and profit motive practices, it is clear that the dental care of the geriatric patients is scarce.
Geriatric patients have very basic dental needs such as the ability to eat and preserve oral health to maintain a reasonable quality of life. Patients aged 80 years & older need their teeth cleaned, filled, repair dentures or bridges. Elderly patients may be dealing with medical conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, eye issues & more. This prevents them from adding Dental Health to their health priority list. The Dental & Medical Health problems are compounded for the elderly because they are less mobile. Their health insurance may have ended when they retired.
Development of geriatric dentistry programs can be very challenging because the patient population is equally challenging. This program requires a mobile dental van equipped with at least two treatment rooms, X-Ray system, Dental chairs, Vacuum Pump, Air Compressor, Autoclave, along with a Dentist, Hygienist and the Dental Supplies. The program also requires staff who has interest & expertise and graduating Dental Students fit this role adequately.
Mobile Dental Clinics are suitable for Nursing Homes, Rural remote areas & Geriatric service for Patients in assisted living. The need in the Nursing & Retirement homes is too large compared to the dental services available to meet the need. How to make Mobile Dental Coach/Trailer service to the Nursing or Retirement homes as efficient as possible? Besides a fully functional and Self Contained mobile Dental Van, Primary staff, Qualified clinicians, Assistants, Hygienists, Outreach Coordinators, Relationship person and Social workers are required for the success of such a program for the Nursing & Retirement homes. A combination of dental education & treatment for the elderly patients can reduce the overall cost for the insurance companies and tax payers for the Medicaid type programs. Once the cavities have been attended to, and bad oral health habits addressed, subsequent visits for cleanings & checkups generally cost less.
Obviously, some of the health problems for the elderly can be addressed by creating a Mobile Dental Service by Non Profit Organizations by investing in the Mobile Dental Coaches & Dental equipment but these are insufficient for the total elderly population globally and it fails to get the root cause of the issue. The solution for the Medical & Dental issue for the elderly is already achieved by the countries like U.K., Canada, Israel, France, Germany to name a few. In fact there are over 50 counties with legislation mandating Universal Health Care. Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Presidential Candidate is promising an Universal Health Coverage in the United States. This type of coverage should help, especially the elderly to maintain their Dental & Physical Health in their homes or assisted living residence.
The major justification for a Mobil Dental Clinic service program is the difficulty experienced by the elderly with special needs living in assisted residence such as Nursing or Retirement homes to obtain dental service. While access to dental care is a problem for many people with special needs, it is exacerbated in the rural areas where there are fewer dentists, fewer specialized dental resources where travel distances are much greater than in major Metropolitan areas. A Mobile Dental Clinic program is specifically designed to allow a smaller number of dentists to reach elderly patient located over a much larger geographical area than would be possible with a fixed facility. The Mobile Dental Clinic Service is an innovative approach for bringing dental service to elderly people who would not otherwise receive dental care.
For many countries globally, Dentistry is powered by Sick-Care instead of Preventive Care, and Profit-motive business practices involving greed. The future of dentistry needs to change globally. Dental professionals, assistants and dental colleges should emphasize relationships between oral health, mental health, medical diseases and emotional issues. A dental practice with the fundamentals in diagnosis, oral health, oral health education, longevity and disease control replacing find-and-fix with cognitive skills.
Contact us at kbconsultants1958@gmail.com for help or a Price Quotation including a CAD Drawing & Terms for Mobile Dental Coach and Trailer.
