For want of a dentist http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17372104/from/ET/ Maryland boy, 12, dies after bacteria from tooth spread to his brain Deamonte Driver, aged 12, is shown with his mother, Alyce, at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., after emergency brain surgery. View related photos Linda Davidson / The Washington Post By Mary Otto Updated: 8:00 a.m. ET Feb 28, 2007 WASHINGTON - Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday. A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him. If his mother had been insured. If his family had not lost its Medicaid. If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find. If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth. • More national coverage By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died. Deamonte's death and the ultimate cost of his care, which could total more than $250,000, underscore an often-overlooked concern in the debate over universal health coverage: dental care. Some poor children have no dental coverage at all. Others travel three hours to find a dentist willing to take Medicaid patients and accept the incumbent paperwork. And some, including Deamonte's brother, get in for a tooth cleaning but have trouble securing an oral surgeon to fix deeper problems. In spite of efforts to change the system, fewer than one in three children in Maryland's Medicaid program received any dental service at all in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ‘They know there is a problem’ The figures were worse elsewhere in the region. In the District, 29.3 percent got treatment, and in Virginia, 24.3 percent were treated, although all three jurisdictions say they have done a better job reaching children in recent years. "I certainly hope the state agencies responsible for making sure these children have dental care take note so that Deamonte didn't die in vain," said Laurie Norris, a lawyer for the Baltimore-based Public Justice Center who tried to help the Driver family. "They know there is a problem, and they have not devoted adequate resources to solving it." Maryland officials emphasize that the delivery of basic care has improved greatly since 1997, when the state instituted a managed care program, and in 1998, when legislation that provided more money and set standards for access to dental care for poor children was enacted. About 900 of the state's 5,500 dentists accept Medicaid patients, said Arthur Fridley, last year's president of the Maryland State Dental Association. Referring patients to specialists can be particularly difficult. Fewer than 16 percent of Maryland's Medicaid children received restorative services -- such as filling cavities -- in 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available. For families such as the Drivers, the systemic problems are compounded by personal obstacles: lack of transportation, bouts of homelessness, erratic telephone and mail service. The Driver children have never received routine dental attention, said their mother, Alyce Driver. The bakery, construction and home health-care jobs she has held have not provided insurance. The children's Medicaid coverage had temporarily lapsed at the time Deamonte was hospitalized. And even with Medicaid's promise of dental care, the problem, she said, was finding it. When Deamonte got sick, his mother had not realized that his tooth had been bothering him. Instead, she was focusing on his younger brother, 10-year-old DaShawn, who "complains about his teeth all the time," she said.
I dunno how they lost their Medicaid but most likely it was from not being poor enough. It's the worst feeling in the world to be lower middle class. Yo're not poor enough to qualify for government services like housing grants, food stamps, healthcare, but yet not rich enough to afford private healthcare which can cost literally thousands. I was in this situation myself a few years ago when I lost my job midway through the year. My partial income prevented me from getting Medicaid and there was no way I could afford the 4 grand a year private incurance was charging for premiums.
thats why theres CHIP, which hopefully they will restore. Waiting until people go to the emergency room or die is not a good answer. AUSTIN - A Republican legislator who supported restrictions four years ago that removed thousands of low-income youngsters from the Children's Health Insurance Program is now ready to do away with some of those cuts.
I worked with kids like this in the Baltimore schools. There teeth were routinely in horrible condition. We need universal health care yesterday.
So..... umm.... Why don't the parents make their kids brush their teeth every day instead of placing the burden and blame on the medical system?
Kind of what I was thinking.....or how about why didn't they find him a dentist sooner? Sounds more like neglect than anything else. Of course, I also support a national healthcare program........ DD
Maybe the kid did brush his teeth everyday. It is possible, and depending on genetics, likely that even with brushing the teeth could have cavities, or bacteria.
A friend of mine (dentist) explained it rather simply once: "Some people just have better teeth than others." The lack of universal healthcare is barbarism.
no ****... this kid would still be alive (and his brother wouldn't have had 6 ROTTED TEETH) if this "mother" would've made them brush their teeth everyday. but yeah, let's blame the government. btw, i do think the healthcare system is royally f'ed in this country... but this isn't a good example of it.
Probably true - may have just been piss poor parenting. But again - the lack of universal healthcare is barbarism.
Even with proper brushing, flossing, and other basic dental care you still need dentists assistance sometimes. There's the routine cleaning every six months and during this the dentist also checks for anything else such as cavities, decay, or whatever. I think there can be some blame spread to all areas, parents, health care professionals, and the government.
I doubt they would include preventative dental work in "universal healthcare" system. Much like dental is not included in the VA system