Dental clinics of North America
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Dent. Clin. North Am. · Jul 2009
The role of non-dental health professionals in providing access to dental care for low-income and minority patients.
The disadvantaged suffer disproportionately from dental problems. These persons are more likely to have untreated oral health problems and associated pain, and also are more likely to forego dental treatment even when in pain. ⋯ The delivery of oral health care services by non-dental health professionals may assume increasing importance as the population continues to age and becomes more diverse. This is because, in general, the elderly and ethnic and racial minorities face significant economic barriers to accessing private dental services.