The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is creating a database to track the amount of free and charitable dental services provided in Pennsylvania. This survey you are taking now is collecting information on services provided in the calendar year of 2019.
Pennsylvania is one of the states with the highest rate of poor oral health, ranked 46th in Oral Habits and Care in 2019.* Every year, thousands of dollars are spent in providing free dental care to those in need of dental services.
Do we know exactly how much we spend collectively as a state on donated dental services? Unfortunately, we don’t have a set system for collecting this information. In 2018, PCOH was able to collect data from 21 different organizations offering free services to 10,300 patients. The data collected show that over 40,400 procedures were performed free-of-charge in 2018 for a total estimated value of $5.8 million.
Why do we need to track charitable dental expenditures?
- To measure the gap between funding provided for oral health services and the actual need of Pennsylvanians
- To advocate for more funding towards dental services from the state
- To advocate for more coverage under Medicaid and increase the Medicaid fee schedule rates
- To encourage the participation of dentists accepting Medicaid in dental offices
Ultimately, it will increase access to dental services to Pennsylvanians who need it the most.
To achieve this goal, we need your help. Together, we can track the amount spent by your organization in charitable dental work every year. Collectively, this will enable the residents of Pennsylvania to gain access to dental services and improve the oral health condition of our population. Please help us by filling out this form to provide information about your program's numbers in 2019. It should take 15-30 minutes to complete the questions; no questions are required, but your response will be most helpful if you can answer each question that you have numbers for.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@paoralhealth.org.
For all respondents who complete the survey by October 15, 2020, PCOH will hold a drawing for one (1) $500 donation to your organization or program.
*https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-worst-dental-health/31498/?utm_source=emailshare
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