KET Special Examines Dental Care in Kentucky
Tooth decay, gum disease, a shortage of dentists, high costs and lack of dental insurance—Kentucky's oral health challenges are well known. However, not all the news is discouraging.
Fixing Kentucky's Smile, a new KET special, looks at surprising new advances in oral health care that are giving Kentuckians a reason to smile.
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The documentary is part of KET's Be Well Kentucky health initiative.
KET's Renee Shaw and guests examine the state of oral health in Kentucky and new policies and recommendations in dental care.
Guests include:
- Dr. M. Raynor Mullins, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
- Bertie Kaye Salyer, public health director of the Magoffin County Health Department
- Dr. Lamont Gholston, dental director of the Park DuValle Community Health Center in Louisville
Fixing Kentucky's Smile also looks at promising outreach programs. Creation Technologies of Lexington provides on-site dental care to its employees through a partnership with the University of Kentucky. Pregnant women get dental care at the time of their prenatal visits at the Centering Pregnancy Smiles program at the Trover Clinic in Madisonville. And the Barren River Health Department uses portable dental equipment to address the most common barriers to good dental care: transportation, access and cost.
Fixing Kentucky's Smile is a KET production, and is funded, in part, by a grant from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky; Laura Kreuger, producer.
