The Chicago Dental Society (CDS) Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to access to dental care and dental education, has released a new online tool to help metro Chicago residents find dental clinics in their area.
The tool, located at www.cdsfound.org/clinics, includes data about dental clinics and services in Cook, Lake, and DuPage counties.
The tool is the most comprehensive collection of information on the dental care safety net in the metro Chicago area, according to the CDS. Users can search by geography and ages of patients treated, as well as get information on services provided, languages spoken, and payment methods accepted for more than 100 clinics and services.
"Our goal with this project is to help patients in need find dental clinics relevant to them," said Dr. Jamie Robinson, a dentist and a Chicago Dental Society Foundation board member, in a press release. "We're realistic. The dental care safety net is threadbare, but we can still help people navigate the system and find clinics where they are eligible for treatment."
Over the past five years, the city of Chicago has closed all of its dental clinics. According to a report conducted by the CDS in 2011, there is currently one clinic for every 11,400 Medicaid enrollees in Chicago.
Dental care has not fared better at the county level either, the CDS noted. In 2000, the Cook County Department of Public Health served nearly 12,000 dental patients. In 2007, the county closed half of its dental clinics, resulting in fewer than 5,000 patients being seen in 2009.
