A newly founded coalition of dentists has unveiled its nationwide campaign to address the dental health crisis in the U.S. (Photo: prodakszyn/Shutterstock)

2013-9-12 | News Americas

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, USA: On Tuesday, Dentists for Oral Health Innovation (DOHI), a new organization of dentists who have joined forces to expand access to dental care, announced its launch. The primary aim of the group is to tackle the growing dental divide between patients who have access to dental care and those without it in the U.S.

According to DOHI, most U.S. states have just 65 dentists per 100,000 people — fewer than the number of physicians for that same population. The organization also stated that about 130 million citizens do not have dental insurance coverage. In addition, it emphasized that there is an educational dimension to the oral health gap because many patients do not understand the integral role oral health plays in general health. 

In its approach to tackling disparities in oral health care, the organization wants to expand access to high-quality, cost-effective care through the use of advancing models and methods to enable dentists to meet paperwork requirements and to devote more time to patient care. DOHI hopes that dentists can increase access to oral health care by focusing on clinical services rather than administrative tasks. 

Founded by a diverse group of dentists, the organization currently represents thousands of dentists nationwide committed to patient care, continuing education, technology and philanthropy. DOHI encourages dentists who share the same mission to join the movement.