Access to Dental Care in Rural Alabama

Keywords: dental access, rural, Alabama, Black Belt
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

Dental health is a very important aspect of an individual’s daily life. Most do not understand the importance that your teeth carry in your overall health, therefore they do not seek the dental care that is necessary. In 2015 the American Dental Association reported that 77% of adults planned to visit the dentist within the next year, however only 37% of adults actually visited the dentist. Of those individuals who do not visit the dentist, cost is the top reason, with inconvenient time or location and trouble finding a dentist fall close behind. Alabama has the highest ratio of dentists to population in the United States, however, urban counties have more than twice the ratio than rural counties in Alabama. Three Alabama counties have no dentist offices. As of 2020, there were 2,031 active dentists in the state of Alabama, but some of these dentists are set up in the same communities.This poster represents preliminary work toward the primary objective of determining rural access to dental care in Alabama. To gain a better understanding of where these dental offices are located within the Blackbelt and which individuals have best access, buffer zones will be used. In addition to the buffers, the socioeconomic characteristics will be examined. By looking at the individuals above and below the poverty level, the demographic of people who have best access should be able to be determined. This research will provide information on which populations within rural Alabama have the best access to dental care.