The role and needs of community dental clinics in Michigan

Objectives: Community-based dental clinics (community dental clinics) play a vital role in providing dental care and oral health education to low-income and underserved populations. However, many people still lack affordable and convenient access to dental care. This study aims to investigate the current operation of community dental clinics in Michigan and the major challenges they face. Methods: A questionnaire was adapted from a previous study conducted in Illinois. The survey includes 35 questions regarding clinic operation, capacity and dental visits, staffing, funding, and future needs. The questionnaire was mailed to 69 community-based dental clinics throughout Michigan. Thirty eight surveys were returned for a 55% response rate. Results: 46% of the clinics were part of a Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC), 16 % were sponsored by local public health departments, 13% were sponsored by private, not-for profit organizations, and Indian Health Service related (IHS-related) was 11%. Number of patients per clinic were: FQHCs (4,381), Local public health departments (4,150), Private-non-profit funded (2,224), and IHS-related (3,314). Every clinic provides preventive and diagnostic services, while many provide a range of services including basic restorative (97.4%), emergency care (86.8%), complex restorative and endodontics (76.3%), and oral surgery (73.7%). In order to fully serve their patients these clinics reported needing additional funding (84%), additional dentists, hygienists, and staff (84%), more clinic space and equipment (74%), and better outreach to target population (40%). Conclusions: This descriptive survey found that there are several types of community dental clinics providing essential dental services to the underserved populations in Michigan. These clinics face various challenges to meet the oral health needs of their communities. In order to meet the current need for oral health care in these populations funding for individual clinics must be increased or more incentives need to be provided for oral health professionals to staff these clinics.