Illinois Correctional Facilities: More Dental Hygienists Needed, and Other Barriers to Care
Providing oral health care to incarcerated populations is challenging. There's the perception of lack of safety, which keeps RDHs from applying. But there are other barriers as well.
Like many underserved populations, there’s a dire need for oral health care in the Illinois correctional system. The system has several critical factors that have led to the current lack of preventive and restorative services available to inmates. These factors are the demand for care, the supply of people who can provide these services, and the frequency services are needed.
Dental hygienists provide the same services to inmates that are available to patients outside of correctional facilities. Currently, facilities are required to have at least one dental hygienist, but more can be added depending on the needs of the facility.1 Hygienists’ role in correctional facilities is critical to the oral and systemic health of inmates. There are a limited number of dental hygienists available for correctional facilities, which is a barrier to patient care. A lack of providers increases inmate wait times for treatment, which leads to an increase in emergency situations...
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Like many underserved populations, there’s a dire need for oral health care in the Illinois correctional system. The system has several critical factors that have led to the current lack of preventive and restorative services available to inmates. These factors are the demand for care, the supply of people who can provide these services, and the frequency services are needed.
Dental hygienists provide the same services to inmates that are available to patients outside of correctional facilities. Currently, facilities are required to have at least one dental hygienist, but more can be added depending on the needs of the facility.1 Hygienists’ role in correctional facilities is critical to the oral and systemic health of inmates. There are a limited number of dental hygienists available for correctional facilities, which is a barrier to patient care. A lack of providers increases inmate wait times for treatment, which leads to an increase in emergency situations...
Click Here to Read More