To many people, toothaches may seem like a minor inconvenience and could be a quick fix at the dental office. Still, to others who experience homelessness and are unable to receive the services to prevent them, toothaches can be a reason to visit an emergency room, as they are unable to make that easy and accessible trip to the dentist. Those who are homeless or who do not have health insurance are often left to endure the oral pains and ignore those issues until the matter worsens and calls for an emergency room visit.
Visits to emergency rooms are only temporary solutions to the growing problems of oral pains due to poor dental care. This can become a cycle for the homeless community in which they find themselves repeatedly visiting emergency rooms to treat all oral health issues. Through preventative measures, the homeless community would have the opportunity to treat any dental health issues promptly, rather than letting the oral matter worsen through time.
Rafael Figueiredo et al.. conducted a study on using the emergency department due to oral issues. The study examined 1,189 people who were homeless and studied how often they visited the emergency department for dental issues. The results found:
80% of homeless individuals had visited the emergency room because of odontogenic infections, while 46% of those individuals had made that visit more than once. This study was conducted from 2005-2009 in the Ontario, Canada area.
This is just one example of visits that are seen within communities of people who are homeless visiting the emergency department. The study could be used as an example for different regions as these visits by people who are homeless could be seen as a widespread and systemic issue, where the lack of preventative measures has caused this issue. Other reliefs that can be substituted for emergency room visits could be an investment in preventative dental care, which could reduce the number of visits individuals make for something that can be prevented.
Some accessible and affordable dental care options for individuals who are homeless could be:
Mobile Dental Clinics:
- https://www.medicalteams.org/emergency-dental-clinics/
- https://healthcenter.multco.us/current-patients/find-more-support/mobile-clinic#657-what-is-a-mobile-clinic
Community Dental Programs:
- https://www.bridgesclinic.org/faqs-1
- https://www.greaterportlandhealth.org/services/dental
Through advocacy and accessible information regarding this matter, more people will be able to access the care they need. As a community, we need to focus on the fundamental importance of dental care for people who have minimal to no access to it. Spreading awareness and knowledge can help others in need of these services.
Sources:
Figueiredo, R., Dempster, L., Quiñonez, C., & Hwang, S. W. (2016). Emergency department use for dental problems among homeless individuals: A population-based Cohort Study. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4889437/
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