Drug Court Smiles: Addressing Dental Care Equity for Justice-Involved People.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Criminal Justice Health

Background:

• Justice-involved populations often have complex health needs and limited healthcare access.
• Substance use disorders (SUD) are linked to poor oral health outcomes, including dental caries and periodontal disease.
• Oral health issues and SUD can exacerbate stigma and low self-esteem, creating barriers to care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate dental care access and oral health disparities among justice-involved individuals with SUD in drug treatment courts.
• To identify perceived needs and barriers to dental care from both client and leadership perspectives.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 59 clients and 23 leadership team members across four drug treatment courts.
• Clients reported on their dental care needs and self-assessed oral health.
• Leadership team members provided insights into clients' oral health status and access barriers.

Main Results:

• A majority of clients (61%) reported fair to very poor oral health.
• 27% of clients had not visited a dentist in over 3 years.
• Leadership noted frequent client discussions of oral health problems and missed court appearances due to dental pain (26%).

Conclusions:

• Significant oral health disparities exist for justice-involved individuals with SUD.
• Key barriers to dental care include cost, transportation, fear, and stigma.
• Multifaceted approaches, potentially integrating dental and SUD services, are needed to improve oral health in this population.