As our team prepared to attend the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM) conference in Orlando this month we wanted to do a deep dive into the dental industry, how it has been impacted by COVID and most importantly how the patient population has suffered.

The CareQuest Institute of Oral Health’s mission is to build a future where every person can reach their full potential through optimal health. Through reseach, education, activism and advocacy, they are doing just that. CareQuest’s A Coming Surge in Oral Heath Treatment Needs State of Oral Health Equity in America 2021 laid out very clearly the financial challenges American’s are facing today.

According to CareQuest, survey highlights included:

• An estimated 6 million American adults have lost their dental insurance because of a job loss or benefits change that was caused by COVID-19.
• Among those who cited COVID-19 as the reason for losing dental insurance, 65% reported having an oral symptom that often stems from a disease affecting teeth, gums, or other tissues in the oral cavity.
• More than 1 in 10 (11%), or 28 million, adults have delayed getting dental care because of one or more concerns, including the cost of care, lack of insurance, or concerns about risk of exposure to the virus.

This report speaks volumes to how wide the gap between needed dental care and affordability is.  We make it our mission at Care Cap Plus to provide a non-predatory, interest free way for patient’s to pay over time to reduce the divide that so clearly exists especially today.