Equidad en el acceso a la salud

Todos merecen tener buena salud: una mente sana, una boca sana, un cuerpo sano. But if we really mean everyone, health equity must be a priority.

While the terms "equity" and "equality" both denote fairness, equality indicates that everyone is treated the same way. On the other hand, equity refers to an environment in which people are treated differently with the intention of reaching the same goal for all. Todos llegan con diferentes factores en sus vidas y, por consiguiente, necesitan diferentes cosas para prosperar. En esta ilustración se puede ver claramente:
Ilustración de igualdad vs. equidad

Barreras en la equidad sanitaria
Achieving this level of equity is a work in progress. In the current system, our most vulnerable communities are left behind and stuck in the reality of unmet needs. As of 2019, more than 74 million Americans didn't have access to dental coverage - three times the number of people who are medically uninsured.
En algunos casos, la falta de cobertura se debe a la ubicación. More than 45 million Americans live in areas that do not have an adequate number of dentists to serve the local population, and 43% of Americans living in rural areas lack access to dental care. Socioeconomic barriers such as transportation and job flexibility also contribute to the oral health inequities.

Estas barreras y brechas perjudican de manera desproporcionada a las personas pobres y a las comunidades afroamericanas y de estadounidenses de ascendencia latina. According to recent research from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health:
  • Es un 68 % más probable que los adultos de raza negra no tengan sus necesidades de cuidado dental cubiertas en comparación con los adultos blancos.
  • Latino adults are 52% more likely than white adults to have difficulty doing their job due to poor oral health.
  • Nearly four in 10 Black and Latino adults reside in the 14 states where Medicaid’s adult dental benefits cover no services or emergency-only care.
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Una conversación con la embajadora de DentaQuest en la Semana de la Salud Materna en la Comunidad Afroamericana
La Dra. Amber Bonnaig, Directora de Servicios Dentales de DentaQuest en Georgia y embajadora de la Semana de la Salud Materna de la Comunidad Afroamericana, habla sobre la importancia del cuidado dental durante el embarazo, las desigualdades de acceso a la salud materna y las posibles soluciones en el horizonte.
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Detrás de escena con el director de Servicios Dentales de DentaQuest en Luisiana
El director de Servicios Dentales de DentaQuest en Luisina, Dr. Damiem Cuffie, comparte el camino que lo llevó a dedicarse a la odontología, habla sobre el rol que cumplen la sensibilidad cultural y la similitud en los resultados para la salud y las dificultades que enfrentan las comunidades rurales en relación con la salud bucal.
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Iniciativa
Health Equity Heroes
El premio Health Equity Hero de DentaQuest reconoce a los líderes comunitarios que están inspirando acciones colectivas para ayudar a nuestros vecinos con más necesidades y menos recursos.
Más información »

The barriers to care play a role in maternal health, as maternal mortality rates in America are the worst in the developed world, with 26.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. While maternal mortality rates fell 44% around the world from 1990-2015, maternal mortality in the U.S. increased by 16.7%, making it the only developed country with a rising maternal mortality rate. The situation is even more dire for Black women, who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications and twice as likely to lose an infant to premature death.
The connection to oral health is clear - poor oral health raises a pregnant woman’s risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to major complications and even death. It also increases the risk of poor birth outcomes, such as low birth weight or premature birth.

The same populations that face the highest rates of maternal mortality and poor birth outcomes also face higher rates of oral disease. For example, Black women, American Indian/Alaska Native women, low-income women and women who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance are disproportionately likely to suffer from dental disease during pregnancy. Estos mismos grupos de mujeres son las que tienen menos posibilidades de acceder a servicios de cuidado dental.

 
Health Equity Heroes
DentaQuest’s corporate citizenship efforts support health equity through a variety of initiatives and services, from donating dollars and time in local communities, to educating providers about new ways to deliver care. En definitiva, nuestro trabajo colectivo apunta a nivelar el campo de juego para que todos tengamos las mismas oportunidades de disfrutar la vida.