MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio dental clinic that takes Medicaid and bills on a sliding scale for people with no insurance is a rarity in Appalachia where unmet dental care is rampant.
Some adult patients at the Southeastern Ohio Dental Clinic in Marietta never saw a dentist as children, some children as young as 5 have had all their baby teeth pulled and some patients in their 20s need dentures.
The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/Z0bk0k ) that children in Appalachia have a nearly 60 percent higher rate of tooth decay than elsewhere in Ohio while about half of working-age adults don't have dental insurance.
Dr. Paul Casamassimo (cah-sah-mah-SEE'-moh), chief of dentistry at Nationwide Children's Hospital, said his staff sees many patients who can't find care in Appalachia.
___
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
