News — In light of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ recent introduction of the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act, which would expand access to dental care in the United States, the subject of equitable access to health care has once again taken center stage. Heather Thomas, chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene at Northern Arizona University, is available to share commentary on the difficulty and importance of bringing dental care rural communities, Indigenous peoples and other underserved populations in the U.S.
About Heather Thomas
Heather Thomas is chair and clinical professor of the Department of Dental Hygiene at NAU, with a particular focus on confronting oral health inequality in rural and Indigenous communities. She has served as principal investigator for numerous Ottens Foundation-funded grants to bring expanded dental care to Indigenous peoples in Arizona and beyond, and she has co-authored publications examining oral health professionals’ role in addressing the opioid epidemic and exploring how community-based research projects can address cost and access issues. Using her nearly 20 years of professional experience, Thomas has taught courses on public health, health equity and inclusion and dental hygiene. She holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from NAU.
Heather can speak about:
- Why Sen. Sanders’ proposed legislation focuses on expanding access to dental care for rural and underserved areas
- Why rural Americans struggle to access quality oral care
- How the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act can help fill gaps in care for rural and Indigenous communities
- How scholar-practitioners like her use research to combat the dental care crisis in rural areas
Previous news appearances
Thomas about her appointment as chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene in June.
Pre-approved quotes
“When people think about the biggest barriers to oral care, most probably think of the high cost or the lack of available providers. But millions of Americans face even more barriers to care, like long travel distance, lack of transportation, inability to take time off work, inability to find or afford childcare, cultural and language differences and lack of oral health literacy. These are just some of the issues our broken oral healthcare system desperately needs to address.”
“Your oral health can have a profound impact on your overall health. Studies show there are strong ties between oral health and psychological, social and economic health. Yet dental insurance exists separately from health insurance—as if our mouth doesn’t work in conjunction with the rest of our body.”
The current oral care system—if we can call it that—is not working. If every American had access to regular preventive oral care from birth, we would see a major shift away from the staggering tooth loss and demand for invasive restorative procedures we see today. We would see less pain and aggravation, we would see fewer people parting with their hard-earned savings, and we would see a lot more smiles.”
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