Introduction
Oral health is very important for any person. Not only the comfortable existence of a person depends on it, but also the satisfaction of basic needs, such as eating. In America, as in many other countries, there are groups of the population that are in crisis for oral care. Native Americans suffer from the worst oral health of any population group in the United States (Tiwari et al., 2019). They have staggering rates of untreated dental caries among children and untreated caries and gum disease among adults. Native Americans suffer from toothache every day and face more severe consequences, such as unstoppable tooth decay. This problem is as acute as in other states with indigenous populations in Florida.
Oral Health Care for the Indigenous Population of Florida
There are 240 districts in Florida with a shortage of dental specialists, which provides less than 15% of the population’s needs. In addition, less than 1% of dentists and dental hygienists in Florida are indigenous (Florida Health, 2021). This provides additional difficulties for obtaining dental care for indigenous people. The fact is that the dental treatment that modern society is used to is unusual for them. Such people are much more willing to go to a specialist from their culture than to a white doctor. Due to the shortage of indigenous people among doctors in Florida providing dental services, this segment of the population suffers from dental problems. Compared to white children in the United States aged 3-5 years, indigenous children have four times more cases of untreated caries (Florida Health, 2021). Untreated caries affects more than twice as many adult indigenous dental patients as the U.S. population as a whole and compared to any other racial or ethnic group. Such an epidemiological situation indicates an acute problem with dental care among the indigenous population.
Even though this problem does not increase the risk of mortality, it dramatically spoils the quality of life of the indigenous population. The topic of oral health is also mentioned in the Healthy People 2020 program. The goal of the program on this topic is prevention and control of oral diseases and making dental services more accessible. In a review in 2020, it was noted that over the past 50 years, the oral health of Americans had improved significantly (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). However, some Americans do not have access to prevention programs. The goals in this area are to increase Americans’ awareness of oral health and reduce differences in access to medical services. In addition, the goal is also to take adequate preventive measures to improve the oral health of Americans. To improve the oral health of Native Americans, the Government regularly applies preventive measures. Among them, first, educational events are held to convey the importance of oral care to Native Americans. In addition, programs are also being implemented to provide free consultations for this segment of the population.
Conclusion
Summing up, the problem of oral health care for the indigenous population of America is quite acute. Poor dental health not only harms appearance but also prevents the fulfillment of basic human needs. The indigenous population remains the group whose oral health is the worst of the entire population. This is due to the lack of indigenous specialists in the field of dentistry, as well as a lack of educational work. Nevertheless, government programs are actively engaged in the development of this area and improving the health conditions of the indigenous population.
References
Florida Health. (2021). Oral health data. Florida Health. Web.
Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). Oral health. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web.
Tiwari, T., Jamieson, L., Broughton, J., Lawrence, H. P., Batliner, T. S., Arantes, R., & Albino, J. (2018). Reducing Indigenous oral health inequalities: A review from 5 nations. Journal of Dental Research, 97(8), 1-15. Web.