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Chapter OneIntroductionConsumer’s perceived unmet need for any health care service is a useful index ofboth potential demand and actual medical need. Historically, actual demand alone hasserved as the principal measure of “need” in community health model assessments. Thishistoric perspective notwithstanding, the combination of clinically assessed need(independent of demand) and consumer perception of unmet need may get far closer to anobjective basis for determining both the health status of communities and the need forhealth care professionals and services to care for particular populations more adequately.In the instance of high-risk populations, perceptions of unmet need can be especiallyvaluable in helping to assess both health status and how and where to deploy health careresources.In the case of oral health, surprisingly little has been done in the externalassessment (utilization) or internal assessment (perceived need) of relevant services.There has been a relative dearth of attention paid by health care planners and policymakers to dental health issues, despite the important relationships established among oralhealth, nutrition and general health.The perceived unmet need for oral health care is a useful measure of potentialdemand, because it represents whether people feel their “wants” for dental services are2being fulfilled. In the HIV Costs and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS) of unmet needfor oral health treatment in a nationally representative sample of HIV+ patients, an
estimated 40% or 88,000 medical patients reported unmet need for oral health care during
at least one of three interviews of the (Marcus, Maida, Coulter, Freed, Der-Martirosian,
Liu, Freed, Guzman-Becerra, & Andersen, 2005). The perceived unmet need for oral
health care in this population is considerably higher than in the general U.S. population
(11%; Positive Outcomes, Inc., 2006). There is a great demand and need for oral health
care during the course of HIV disease, as it has been shown that physicians are not
proficient in diagnosing changes in the oral cavity (Glick & Burris, 1997; Paauw,
Wenrich, Curtis, Carline & Ramsey, 1995). Other health care providers, social and
support networks rely on dental health care workers to provide services within their area
of expertise (Glick, 1996).
Oral health conditions associated with HIV disease are frequently more severe
than those of the general population, making access to both dental and medical care
imperative. A previous cross-sectional HCSUS study estimated that 33,000 people had
unmet dental needs, and unmet dental needs were twice as prevalent as unmet medical
needs (Heslin, Cunningham, Marcus, Coulter, Freed, Der-Martirosian, Bozzette, Shapiro,
Morton, & Andersen, 2001). The dramatic increase in unmet need for dental services
during those four years, speaks to the growing problem of lack of access to dental care
for persons with HIV/AIDS.
The significance of these studies (Marcus, et al, 2005; Heslin, et al, 2001) is
evident when one considers the scarcity of dental health care professionals that have been
willing to treat persons with HIV/AIDS over the last 25 years (Sadowsky & Kunzel,
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1994). In fact, the dental profession, particularly in the United States, has been
unwilling to give clear and unmistakable answers to individual dentists’ questions about
the care of HIV+ patients (Glick & Burris, 1997). Whereas the medical needs of patients
with HIV/AIDS are important, unmet dental needs also may negatively influence their
health ((NIH/NIDCR, 2000; Zabos et al, 2002).
Statement of the Problem
In the past half-century, we have come to recognize that the mouth is a mirror of
the body, it is a sentinel of disease, and it is critical to overall health and wellbeing.
The challenge facing us today—to help all Americans achieve oral
health—demands the best efforts of public and private agencies as well as
individuals. We must build public-private partnerships to provide opportunities
for individuals, communities, and health professionals to work together to
maintain and improve the nation's oral health. We also must build an effective
health infrastructure that meets the oral health needs of all Americans and
integrates oral health effectively into overall health. We must work to change
perceptions about oral health among the general public, among policymakers, and
among health providers. We must remove the barriers between people and oral
health services (NIH/NIDCR/U.S. Surgeon General 3.David Satcher, May 25,
2000, p.1).
The first key barrier has been dental health care providers (DHCPs) whose
attitudes may lead to their being unwilling to treat patients with HIV/AIDS.
Consequently, persons with HIV/AIDS have presented the dental profession with a
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number of ethical challenges (Doyal, 1997). The life-threatening consequences of
HIV/AIDS, its infectious nature and the social stigma associated with the disease have
led to a range of ethical dilemmas for dental health practitioners including whether or not
to treat HIV-infected patients. Despite their training and education, many health care
professionals are likely to share some of the same attitudes toward AIDS and HIV+
patients as the lay community (Dow & Knox, 1988).
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Access to Health Care in America (1993),
noted findings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation AIDS Health Services
Program and Evaluation Study. The comment repeated in each of the 15 communities
studied was that only a handful of private physicians were seeing the majority of persons
with HIV disease, and that access to dental care for persons with HIV infection was
similarly constrained. Access to dental care is essential for all persons, particularly for
ones with complex medical conditions (Glick & Burris, 1997). Therefore, dentists have a
moral and professional obligation to provide care to all persons within the dentist’s realm
of expertise. However, throughout the HIV/AIDS epidemic, DHCPs have demonstrated
an unwillingness to treat HIV-infected patients (Gerbert, Badner & Maguire, 1988;
Sadowsky & Kunzel, 1994; Doyal, 1997; McCarthy, Koval & McDonald, 1999).
The issue of access to health care is not new, and this snapshot of more than a
decade ago has not changed. A synopsis of a situation in New Orleans, Louisiana was
described in the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update (Pope, 2004) adapted from
an article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune from March 17 of the same year. The
article stated the concern that individual metropolitan areas would have in making
decisions about how they used their HIV/AIDS funds since federal Ryan White funding
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had declined in New Orleans by more than $4 million during the last fiscal year. New
Orleans was one of 40 U.S. cities that received less money that year. Even prior to
Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005, the cuts meant closure of the local hospital dental
clinic that served more than 700 regional HIV patients. The city clinic and Louisiana
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