12 Year-Old Dies from Lack of Dental Insurance

By Jerry Garner

The nation was shocked this week when it was announced that a 12 year-old boy had passed away in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a result of not having adequate dental care. The tragedy has prompted House Democrats to address the lack of affordable health insurance, and to push forward plans that will provide dental care to the poor at an unprecedented rate.

Deamonte Driver was like many urban youths in the DC Metropolitan area. Struggling against many economic factors, the young boy did not have sufficient insurance coverage to provide quality health care, and the Medicaid coverage provided by the State of Maryland fell far short of providing even a basic level of coverage.

Deamonte’s mother, Alyce Driver, had no idea that her son suffered from an abscessed tooth. She took the youth to a hospital in January after he had complained of repeated chronic headaches. By that time, the infection associated with sceptisemia had traveled from the boy’s tooth to his brain. The result of the infection was a brain tumor that required two surgeries at the local Children’s Hospital, followed by extensive rehabilitation at another facility. Sadly, this was not enough to save young Deamonte’s life.

Driver’s other son, 10 year-old DaShawn Driver, had noticeable tooth problems, as he had a swollen cheek on one side of his face, and openly complained about tooth pain. Unfortunately, the only insurance coverage the family had was Medicaid supplimental insurance from the State of Maryland. Driver said it took her weeks to locate a dentist who would even accept the Medicaid card.

Of the 5,500 licensed dentists in Maryland, less than 20 percent will accept Medicaid. There are various reasons for why dental offices report that they will not accept the coverage. The top of the list is financial, with most dentists stating that reimbursements from the government are just too low to make it worthwhile. Those who are not concerned with the money point out extensive bureaucratic hurdles, mountains of paperwork, and even plain frustrations that are associated with accepting indigent families.

When driver finally located an oral surgeon in November, DaShawn was diagnosed with having as many as six abscessed teeth. An appointment was schedule to begin extracting the infected teeth. The appointment was set for January, but by then the family’s Medicaid coverage had lapsed, apparently because forms were inadvertently mailed to the wrong address.

Since that time, the coverage has been reinstated and young DaShawn has had two of the six teeth removed. However, the coverage comes too late to save the life of his older brother, Deamonte. We can only hope that the tragic loss of Deamonte’s life can save other children who are at risk of suffering a similar fate.

"It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can't find a dentist to remove an infected tooth," said U.S. Senator. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), “Anytime we lose a child, it is a tragedy. But Deamonte Driver's death is particularly devastating because it was easily preventable."

Cardin, together with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), brought attention to Deamonte’s case on the Senate floor as they introduced a bill aimed at providing more extensive dental coverage for children who lack insurance and rely on State aid, which has a history of failing those who need it most.

Officially titled the Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007, the bill will authorize Congress to spend an additional $40 Million to help community health centers and state health departments hire dental professionals to provide care for those in need. The bill also provides grants and incentives for states to improve their Medicaid reimbursement rates, which is listed as the number one cause for dentists failing to accept the coverage.

"It is not enough simply to mourn Deamonte's death. We must learn from this failure of our health-care system and take action to make sure it never happens again. Congress must act to make sure every child in America has access to quality dental care." Cardin said in his speech to the US Senate.

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