Cancer patients struggling to afford dental care

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A new study has revealed that cancer patients are avoiding going to the dentists because the cost of treatment is too high.

The research, which was carried out by a team at the Baptist Medical Center at Wake Forest University, indicated that many cancer patients were forgoing dental treatment because they couldn’t afford it. The team used information from questionnaires, which asked patients which health services they used and which they avoided; the surveys were filled in by cancer survivors. The results found that of the participants, 11.3 percent said that they avoided dental treatment because it was too expensive. Dentistry was the most popular choice for the question of which service patients avoid due to expense. The study also found that patients with Hispanic and African American heritage were more likely to avoid going to the dentist.

The results of the research study are alarming; often, cancer survivors require long-term health and dental care and if they cannot afford this treatment, their general health will undoubtedly suffer. Dentists have urged patients to consider taking out dental insurance plans to cover dental treatment instead of putting off going to the dentist.

Good oral health has been proven to be an indicator of good general health and recently a number of studies have confirmed a link between poor oral health and serious medical conditions including heart disease and an increased risk of strokes and diabetes. Visiting the dentist on a regular basis can help to reduce the risk of harmful oral health conditions and promote good general health.

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