Dental Care Case Study

1. What are the major forces that are leading to change in the dental industry and dental practice in the U.S.? How do you see these forces impacting your dental career?

The major forces that cause changes in the dental industry and the changing demographics of the American population and the increase in cost of accessing healthcare in spite of the changes brought about by the adoption of healthcare and benefits schemes. Technology is also becoming a major force in the dental care trends and is changing the way individuals approach their oral health. Patients visiting the dental practice are more likely to do so out of the concern of their oral health compared to fifty years ago when a visit to the dentist necessitated damage repair. The
Dental care amongst the patients is not covered by most health insurers which have led to the neglecting of oral health concerns. The opportunities available in dental health revolve around ensuring that dental care receives as much attention as other health concerns. The first task that dentists should tackle is ensuring that major health institutions have dental departments to increase availability of the service when the patients demand for it. Serving traditionally underserved populations require taking the services closer to them but while that can be done using the medical or dental camp approach, a more sustainable approach is required. Talking to the healthy services providers on the necessity of establishing dental departments as a necessity in their institutions would help address that access gap. Where the resources available would not permit the taking of services to the underserved, a telehealth approach would be mooted where the health practitioners would have the platform of consultation with dentists located at different locations while serving patients. Dental health problems are better left to the dental professionals but when the services cannot be availed, 20% service is better than no service at all. Telehealth would make use of the other medical practitioners to take care of the dental issues while taking ensuring that complex cases are referred to the right professionals.

3. Describe challenges people face getting access to dental care in traditional office, or clinic settings (i.e. financial, social, cultural, language, knowledge, medical, mental). Describe a system that may be better able to reach people who face these