Filling the Gaps
Oral Healthcare in Chautauqua County
In addition to income and transportation,
another major barrier impacting
oral healthcare in our county is:
Across New York State, there are 1200 residents for every 1 dentist.
In Chautauqua County…
… there are 1830 residents for every one dentist,
over 50% more people per dentist than the statewide ratio.
But the shortage of dentists in the county most severely impacts residents on Medicaid.
Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental work are very low - below the cost of providing care. As a result, very few providers can afford to accept Medicaid.
The Chautauqua Center and The Resource Center are two of the only dental providers in the county treating Medicaid-insured residents.
All
38,000+
Medicaid-insured individuals
That’s two agencies for more than 38,000 residents,
…including over 13,000 children.
So it’s no surprise that 62% of children on Medicaid,
…and 77% of Medicaid-insured adults,
…did not have a preventive dental visit within the last year.
And, hundreds of school children who had received dental care from a mobile dental unit will no longer receive that service as of the 2025/2026 school year.
A metric tracked by the NYS Department of Health is the number of times children ages 3-5 are seen for dental caries
(= cavities).
In light of the above barriers, Chautauqua County’s experience is predictable:
A rate 2.5 times that of the state as a whole
(outside of NYC).
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