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some patients may need three or four vis- its to address their issue, and you've got a pretty high expense," she explains. It's no wonder that coming in for a routine clean- ing can fall down the priority list for many. In addition to MOM and a handful of "Factor in the gas to get here and that clinics throughout Dane County, a slew of local resources have tried to make it easier for uninsured dental patients to get care. But that hasn't kept the tides of demand from rising. Dr. Errin Pfeiffer sees this first hand as chief dental officer for Access Community Health Centers, a string of local, non- profit health centers focused on providing services underserved communities. Of their five Dane County and Dodgeville clinics, three offer dental services. She explains that as the economy has sputtered, the base of patients needing assistance has swelled. "People are losing jobs or there's a shift to low-income and medically in [the type of employment] where now they work a couple of part-time jobs. All of a sudden they don't have benefits or have decreased benefits," she explains, adding that this has spurred the nonprofit organi- zation to increase the number of providers and locations offering dental services. Dr. Ken Loving, CEO of Access, reiter- ates the staggering increase in need. "We treated about 2,500 patients 10 years ago and serve about 25,000 now," he says. "We're able to do that because of community support for what we do. We have the benefit of living in a very generous [area] that is knowledgeable about issues like this." While private practices and health cen- for kids; a place to come regularly so we can continue to educate them…help pre- vent cavities and pain, and build on positive dental experiences from an early age." Pfeiffer seconds the goal at Access. Although, of the 9,600 dental patients Pfeiffer's team treated in 2011, 60 percent were adults, highlighting the need for edu- cation across all ages. The Wisconsin dental workforce report notes that lower utiliza- tion rates by low-income uninsured pa- tients is partly due to the lack of education about seeking routine oral health care. "Education and health care are two things that are critical for people who are trying to better their situation," says Pfief- fer. "If you don't have either of those, it's very difficult to get ahead in life." She adds that by creating a medical and dental home for both adults and children, the team at Access is able to take care of their needs and be a good partner in the community. In turn, by educating this population on the importance of not just medical health, but dental health as well, they are helping patients get ahead while relieving some of the burden on an already strained health care system. "You go from a job with good benefits, then the economy gets bad, you get laid off, ters such as Access find their own ways to meet this growing need, there is one key point they all agree on: Prevention and ed- ucation is the key to improving our com- munity's oral health. Studies have shown that oral infections are linked to diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In addition, tooth decay has become the most common chronic disease among children across the nation. According to the Dane County Oral Health report, 14.4 per- cent of middle schoolers surveyed said they were absent during the 2008-2009 school year due to dental pain. Kramer explains this is why their prac- and you hope you can find care that you can afford." Marsha Kai Back at the MOM event, Marsha Kai gathers her purse and a clipboard contain- ing her and Huntur's health information. She pauses to ponder why this free clinic was so critical for both of them. "You go from a job with good benefits, tice starts by educating the parents of their patients and breaking it down into two simple reminders that can go a long way in creating a lifetime of oral health. "Number one, help your child brush and floss their teeth daily. And number two, help them make healthy food choices," she says. "Our goal is to create a dental home then the economy gets bad, you get laid off, and you hope you can find care that you can afford," she says. "And as a mom, you're always putting your child first, but this event is great because we can both see a dentist at the same time." She smiles down at Huntur who is still staring at his new souvenir, and they head off for her free cleaning. For more information on the state of oral health in Dane County, visit wda.org or publichealthmdc.com. ••• August 2012 bravamagazine.com 57