The Northern Kentucky Health Department says as many as 20% of emergency room visits are oral health related.
"A lot of people who don't have insurance – who don't have the ability to obtain services in the private treatment community – end up in the emergency room," said Dr. Steven Katkowsky, M.D., director of the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
Katkowsky wants to partner with dental schools at both the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville to improve his health district's oral health.
In the meantime, the health department has programs in schools and other learning centers, such as Headstart, that provide fluoride varnish to children who might not see a dentist on a regular basis.
He says he's looking for long-term solutions.
"People who go to the emergency room for a dental problem will only receive the immediate ‘episodic’ care that they need to have, because in Northern Kentucky, there's not a hospital emergency room that has dental services available," Katkowsky explained.
"This uncoordinated kind of care doesn't result in an improvement in their overall oral health – and because it's uncompensated care – it's costing the hospital to be able to have these people in the emergency room," Katkowsky continued.
On Wednesday, Carrie Gould, supervisor of the health department’s Dental Health Program, treated children at the Headstart program in Newport.
"We want kids to see a dentist by the age of one, but a lot of kids that we see, particularly at Headstart, may not necessarily see a dentist on a yearly basis," Gould said.
Gould often must coax reluctant children into the treatment, but says the work has been rewarding.
"Hopefully, we're going to see a difference in some of these kids who get the fluoride varnish by the time they get older. We may be protecting their teeth from cavities," Gould said.
