Merced County

Overview of Findings

Access to dental care is a challenge for low-income residents in Merced County because there are few dentists who accept Medi-Cal. The challenge is far greater for young children, whose parents must travel to surrounding counties to access routine care such as screenings and cleanings. Children with untreated dental problems have such severe conditions that they are often referred to the Dental Surgery Center in Atwater.

There are programs in Merced County that ensure young children gain access to routine dental care. Every child enrolled in Head Start receives a dental assessment, and a case manager assists families with finding follow-up care on any necessary treatments. In addition, Head Start finds a dental home for every child in the program. Children in the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program have periodic medical check-ups, which include oral assessments. When providers refer children to dentists, staff of the CHDP program follow-up with parents to make sure children receive care. The program also provides dental health education through community outreach at health fairs, Head Start parent meetings, and other community events.

Both key informants discussed that some parents have a lack of understanding of the importance of dental health. According to the informants, parents wait to take their children to the dentist until they no longer have baby teeth or if the child is in pain.

Fresno County

Data

The following links lead to visual representations of the data collected in the surveys for this county. Maps in the 'slideshow' have accompanying text that helps explain what is visually taking place as well as comparing the results of this county's maps to the results for the rest of the region. The PDF maps have no explanation text and are only the visual image.

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