State health department data show that, for the past two fiscal years, Louisiana has spent about $1.7 million a year on emergency room treatment and pain relief for Medicaid patients who had dental problems.
The patients got pain relief only — no cure — because Medicaid pays for ER visits for adult dental emergencies but doesn't cover dental care for most adults, or the cost of an extraction, The Times (http://bit.ly/w4dmBa) reported.
"It is a very rare event when I do not see one dental complaint during a (12-hour) shift," said Dr. Alan Sorkey, a local ER physician.
He said 226 of the 6,336 patients he treated last year suffered from toothaches, and many had been in before because of the same problem. "The vast majority, greater than 99 percent, are toothaches almost always due to decay," he said.
Most federally required dental coverage under Medicaid ends when recipients turn 18. In Louisiana, dental care for Medicaid enrollees ends at 21.
A federal report last year found Louisiana among 10 states that don't offer dental benefits to adults under Medicaid.
And Medicare doesn't cover routine dental care or most dental procedures such as cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions or dentures, Medicare spokeswoman Ellen Griffith said.
After days of suffering from a pounding toothache and without money to see a dentist, Rhonda Dyson recently sought treatment in the emergency room of a Shreveport hospital.
"I can't get any relief," said Dyson, who is on Medicare. The 46-year-old Shreveport resident is homeless and disabled from a July 2007 heart attack. "Medicare will only pay for dentures; they will not pay for any dental work."
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Information from: The Times, http://www.shreveporttimes.com
