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San Joaquin County

Overview of Findings

Low-income residents of San Joaquin County face limited access to oral care.  Key informants reported that there are few providers who accept uninsured or publicly-insured patients.  Young children, especially, face barriers to care due to the lack of pediatric dentists who accept Medi-Cal/Denti-Cal or Healthy Kids insurance.  Specialty oral care is also quite limited for low-income patients.  One of the few facilities that provide specialty care to the low-income is the San Joaquin General Hospital, where limited oral surgery procedures are offered.  San Joaquin General Hospital also provides basic dental care such as cleanings, x-rays, fillings, and crowns. 

Some low-income children receive care through the San Joaquin County Children’s Dental Disease program.  This past year, the school-based program served about 9,000 students at four elementary schools.  A dentist and dental hygienist provided fluoride varnishings, plaque control, sealants, cleanings, and referrals.  Finding providers to complete follow-up treatment after initial exams is a challenge for the San Joaquin Children’s Dental Disease program.  Another challenge identified by a key informant is the funding sustainability of the program.  Currently, funding sources include state grants, foundation grants, and in-kind from county funding.

Children in the First 5 preschool and kindergarten programs receive oral health screenings.  In the past, First 5 has partnered with the University of the Pacific’s Dental School to facilitate dental screenings and follow up services for low-income children.  In addition, nurses or health educators work with First 5 Home Visitation staff to screen and refer children for oral health needs.

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.

View Map Slideshow

Download Map PDFs:

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