Thursday, Jan 13 2011 6:27PM
Opportunities for dental care in Alaska can sometimes be few and far between.
An Alaskan program that provides affordable dental care to rural residents is receiving national attention for its accomplishments, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
The Dental Health Aide Therapy program is a rural community assistance program that is the first of its kind in the nation, the newspaper reported, providing safe and timely dental care to rural communities in the state.
Funded by the W.K. Kellogg foundation, the program has been so successful that the organization recently announced an initiative to fund similar programs in Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Vermont and Washington.
About 85,000 Alaskan Natives live in rural villages that are only accessible by air and water, meaning dentists are often only available for one week a year. An RTI evaluation that surveyed 405 Alaskans discovered that more than half of all children have untreated dental decay, as well as 60 percent of teens and 77 percent of adults, showing the need for improved care.
According to the Mayo Clinic, poor oral hygiene may also increase a person's risk for developing heart disease. While it is unlikely to be the primary cause, it is possible for bacteria from the teeth and gums to travel through the bloodstream and attach to fatty plaques in arteries, which in turn can cause a blood clot, stroke or heart attack.