| By :
Kim Johnson
Free dental clinics are set up to serve children and other parts of the population that could otherwise not afford dental care. As required by law, free dental clinics provide free services and affordable care to anyone in the community. Not all patients qualify for the free services, however, many patients qualify for a sliding fee scale. A sliding scale is based upon individual incomes. Most who qualify for this scale pay less than 1/10 of the actual cost for and given dental procedures. Free dental clinics are community-based and are available in every state. Government-sponsored clinics and community centers hold most of the free dental clinics. Some free dental clinics are housed inside of schools to treat children and adults who need their services. Every state is required by law to provide free dental clinics on a regular basis. Of course, some states receive more funding than others. Funding for free dental clinics comes from private contributions and state income tax. States that have a higher number of dental colleges also have more free clinics as students gain experience by working in these settings. Depending upon location, free dental clinics may be open all year, every day, or once a month. Often, there is a backlog of patients waiting for care as most clinics operate on a first come first served basis. Many patients attending free dental clinics are on Medicaid. In some cases regular dentists are beginning to refer patients with this type of insurance to free clinics as a reimbursement for services is low. Federal law regulates free dental clinics and mandates the type of care they can be offer on any given day. Usually children receive full coverage and are allowed the most procedures. Next, senior citizens and adults living below the poverty line are given precedence. While free dental clinics service anyone, most adults receive only emergency care as is mandated in the statute by the federal government. This may change in the future as the American Dental Association continues to ask Congress to maintain and improve services for a wider variety of potential clients inside of free dental clinics. The American dental Association realizes that more Americans require ongoing care on a regular basis in order to improve health of the population. The ADA also strives to improve the financing terms to qualifying individuals in order to provide better service and a higher level of care.
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