By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County has waited years for a dentist who won’t turn away patients unable to pay for their care. It appears that wait may continue – at least for a full-time dentist accepting patients without insurance.
Last month, Dr. Vipul Singhal took over full time as chief dental officer of the new dental center at the Wood County Community Health Center. The dental center just opened earlier this year.
But at Thursday’s board of health meeting, it was announced that Singhal was planning to leave.
Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Batey explained that Singhal’s plans to relocate to Wood County changed when his wife accepted a job in Chicago.
It took the health department longer than hoped to find a chief dental officer, so the loss has Batey a little concerned.
“It may take us a while to find somebody,” he said.
But Batey assured the board that Singhal is committed to staying on part-time until his position is filled. He will work three days a week, and the board will begin the search for a part-time dentist to fill in, and a full-time chief dental office to take Singhal’s place.
The part-time posting will have a wage range of $56.88 to $79.64. The chief dental officer position will have a wage range of $69.55 to Singhal’s rate of $102.56 per hour.
The dental clinic has five exam chairs, a lab, and offers services such as X-rays, minor surgeries and preventative care.
The dental facility provides a service that has been identified as an important missing piece in Wood County for decades.
But Batey said Friday that getting the dental center operating at full capacity is taking a while.
“A lot of the patients we’re seeing have gone without dental care for quite a while,” he said.
Because many of the patients have not gotten regular dental care in the past, their initial visit often take longer, and several follow-up visits are needed.
Many Wood County families cannot afford dental insurance, or cannot find dental offices willing to accept Medicaid patients. So for many, dental care is put off until the pain is unbearable.
The center, with its sliding fee scale, will not turn away anyone due to lack of insurance or funds.
And like many other health issues, poor dental care can lead to or worsen other health problems. More and more correlations are being identified between poor dental health and diabetes and heart issues.
By reaching children at a younger age, local public health officials hope to help promote healthy dental habits early on.
Community health assessments have repeatedly shown unmet dental needs as a top health problem for local residents.
Dentists are reimbursed at a lower rate by Medicaid than through private insurance. And the Medicaid patients often have significant dental needs because they have delayed treatment due to the expense.
They often wait till the pain is unbearable, and the cost is escalated.
Every time the health district conducted an assessment of the county, the lack of dental services for low income residents ranked high on the list of needs.
In 2015 in Wood County, 21 percent of children had not had a dental appointment in the past year, while more than 9 percent had never been to the dentist.
