By Mary Engel in the Los Angeles Times:

Few dentists in California will accept patients with disabilities, and experts say the problem is only getting worse. Among the causes: dental schools don’t teach students how to care for patients with disabilities; dentists won’t accept Denti-Cal patients because reimbursements in California are among the lowest in the nation; and hospitals won’t extend staffing privileges to dentists whose patients may need general anesthesia.

Parents are frustrated by long waits at backlogged county and teaching hospitals, and many search for months to find a dentist willing to treat a person with disabilities. “It’s going to come to the point that there’s not going to be anywhere people can go,” said dentist Diana Zschaschel. “We’re going to be like in the 1800s, when people actually died of dental infections.” Dr. Zschaschel sets aside one day a week to care for patients with disabilities.

See earlier posts:

Dental clinic serves a group often neglected

Help wanted: Dentists for Medicaid kids

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