Mainers have a chance to do something about a pressing public health problem by voting “yes” on Question 2, a $5 million bond issue to improve access to dental care. Voters should take the opportunity. We endorse a “yes” vote on Question 2.
Several factors come together to make dental treatment hard to come by in much of the state.
We have about half the national average of dentists per capita, and that is even worse in rural areas.
A low-income person in Portland might have trouble finding a dentist who will accept Mainecare coverage, and someone in an underserved part of the state would have a hard time, regardless of income. If something isn’t done, the problem will just get worse, as about 40 percent of the state’s dentists are near retirement age.
The dentist shortage creates a burden on the entire health care system. For adults between the ages of 18 and 44, a dental crisis is the most likely cause of an emergency room visit — the most expensive place to deliver treatment. Unpaid emergency room bills are shifted onto the fees insured patients pay, raising costs.
The one-time investment would address the problem in two ways: A dental school would be set up at a Maine university with $3.5 million of the bond money. Maine students with an interest in public service would be recruited and trained. In their fourth year, they would be assigned to see patients in underserved areas, and history shows that 60 percent can be expected to stay in those areas when they graduate.
Those that do would be eligible for federal and state help in paying off their student loans, alleviating the pressure that has driven dentists out of rural areas.
The rest of the bond would be used to create or upgrade community health clinics across the state.
The bond would not make Maine’s problem of access to dental care disappear, but it would take a major step toward addressing it.
At a time when state funds will be scarce and escalating health care costs will drive tough decisions in Augusta, it makes sense to make this small investment that will pay off by preventing expenses.
Mainers should take advantage of this opportunity and vote “yes” on Question 2.
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