Low-income adults and children who are able to see a dentist at the same location as their primary care doctor are more likely to get dental care, yet almost three out of five community health clinics in California either don’t offer oral health services or, if they do, the nearest facility is sometimes too far for many patients to reach, according to a recent Center study. In this November 19 seminar, part of the Center’s ongoing Health Policy Seminar Series, the study’s authors, James Crall and Nadereh Pourat, review the data on the number of California community health centers that provide on-site dental care versus those that do not and takes a specific look at the county that “co-locates” oral and primary care the least: Los Angeles. The presentation also makes the case that providing both dental and primary care in the same location is good not just for patients but for clinics’ bottom line.
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