County's poor get 'Middle Ages' dental care

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County's poor get 'Middle Ages' dental care
February 4, 2008
By Amy Olson
Wausau Daily Herald


Dental health problems have reached epidemic levels among children and adults in Marathon County, largely because of limited access to care and lack of hygiene practices, experts say.

Even those covered by state-sponsored dental programs have trouble getting the care they need, according to the county's recently released 2007 LIFE report. A lack of proper hygiene practices compounds what Dr. John Kregenow sees every day at Bridge Community Health Clinic in Wausau.

"It's as bad as it used to be in the Middle Ages," Kregenow said, and what starts in childhood continues throughout adulthood.

Poor dental health has been linked to heart disease, prenatal distress and other health conditions.

"As a society, we haven't done a great job of emphasizing oral health along with medical health," said Ann Lucas, executive director of the Bridge Clinic, a lifeline for people without insurance.

With low reimbursement rates from BadgerCare, there's no incentive for dental practices, most of which are private, to treat state-funded patients, Lucas said.

Those least likely to have visited a dentist included people from low-income families, people ages 18 to 24 and minorities. Less than 41 percent of Asians reported having visited a dentist in the past year, according to the report. Forty-one percent of people making $15,000 a year or less visited a dentist; 88 percent of respondents making $75,000 a year or more visited a dentist.

Fifty-six percent cited an inability to afford care, and 30 percent cited a lack of insurance as factors for not seeking treatment.

Fewer dentists are willing to take new BadgerCare and Medicaid patients, according to the Governor's Task Force to Improve Access to Oral Health. In Marathon County, about 2,300 people have coverage through those programs.

New dental patients face a yearlong waiting list at the Bridge Clinic, Lucas said, although the clinic can take emergency cases.

"The first toothache isn't the time to start thinking about it," Kregenow said.