16 The QUEE NS Courier • health • NOVEMBER 5, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶health More New Yorkers need to see the dentist: report BY BROOKE SMITH editorial@queenscourier.com @queenscourier The Health Department released a new data brief Wednesday on the utilization of oral health services among adults in New York City. Data collected by the agency’s annual Community Health Survey and Syndromic Surveillance from hospitals across the five boroughs shows how the Health Department describes New Yorkers’ use of preventive and emergency dental services. The Data Brief revealed that two in five adult New Yorkers had no preventive dental visit in the past 12 months. “We know that far too few New Yorkers see a dentist on a regular basis for preventive care,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “The Health Department is working with stakeholders to increase awareness and access to low-cost dental services across the city.” Nationally, hospital emergency department visits for dental conditions are on the rise. Among all hospital ER visits from 2009 to 2014, over 180,00 visits, approximately 1 percent, were identified as being preventable oral health visits. In New York City, young adults, aged 25 to 29 were found to be more likely than adults, aged 30 to 64 to not have a preventive dental visit. The likelihood of not having a preventive dental visit in the past year decreased as household poverty increased. Bedford Stuyvesant-Crown Heights, Williamsburg, East New York, Jamaica, East and Central Harlem, South Bronx and Fordham-Bronx Park exhibited the highest rates of emergency department utilization for potentially preventable oral health issues. The South Bronx alone accounted for 11 percent of all preventable oral health visits to the emergency department. To help New Yorkers find affordable dental services, the Health Department has created a list of low and no-cost and sliding fee scale dental facilities. OFFER VALID UNTIL NOV. 15!
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