The Importance Of Dental Care

Improved Essays
Show More
Regardless of your political stance, healthcare is a service that all people should have access to, privately, or publicly. In the United States, millions of Native Americans on reservations are stifled from receiving the much needed dental care they deserve, and the consequences are damaging to their health and prosperity.
Tribal sovereignty is the right of an independent authority to govern tribal members. In regards to dental care, this is the right to train, license, and employ professionals. Right now this system is not working. Native Americans are faced with oral ailments at a ridiculously disproportionate rate compared to other ethnic or cultural groups, and have limited access to adequate care. Due to the lobbying of the American …show more content…
David A. Nash, a professor of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Kentucky, and Ron J. Nagel, a winner of Myron Allukian Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions in Community Dental Programs, conducted a study on the disparities in oral health between Native American children and the general population. They found that there are only 85 American Indian and Alaskan Native dentists, 1 for every 35,000 American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals. 70 of them are employed by a tribe or the Indian Health Service, which is a federal health program for Alaskan Natives and Native Americans (Nash et …show more content…
Canada has a program for assisting Native peoples with limited access in its northern provinces. If DHATs don’t make significant changes to the oral health of Native Americans in the mainland United States, tribal sovereignty in regards to dental care should be violated to ensure the welfare of tribal members.
There also needs to be an increase in funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS), who is responsible for providing health services to tribes. In an interview with the Huffington Post, the head of the IHS, Yvette Roubideaux, called for change and improvement. stated that they have done the best they could, for the limited funding and resources that they have (Giago). With more funding, the dental issues the native community faces can be alleviated.
Throughout US History, Native Americans have been robbed the rights that they deserve. As a result, in modern times, Native Americans continue to be at a disadvantage. We now

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Sacagawea And The Iroquois Constitution
    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Sacagawea And The Iroquois Constitution

    Native American Sacagawea Sacagawea was a Lemhi-Shoshone woman who interpreted for and guided Lewis and Clark. At 13 Sacagawea was taken as a wife by trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau. When Lewis and Clark asked the trappers if any of them would be willing to guild them, Charbonneau told them about his Native American wife. Sacagawea was pregnant at the time, but managed to aid the men greatly and help them out of intense situations. Her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born during the expedition.…

    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Standing Silent Nation Summary
    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Standing Silent Nation Summary

    The documentary Standing Silent Nation: A Native American Family Seeking Economic Independence portrays the constant and permanent struggles that Native Americans, specifically the Oglala Lakota tribe, face daily. The documentary focused primarily on the economic inequality and underrepresentation that Native Americans experience due to the persistent prejudice that remains against this specific group. In other words, the Oglala Lakota tribe, and other Native American tribes, express their worry of the inequality committed against them by asking the viewer to take their situations into consideration by discussing their issues with the United States court system public. The Oglala Tribe can illustrate to the reader constant dedication and hard work to simply meet their financial needs, despite common belief that Native Americans just want handouts from the government. The documentary attempts to eliminate the negative stereotypes of Native Americans.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Pine Mountain Reservation Research Paper
    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Pine Mountain Reservation Research Paper

    An indigenous issue that is apparent in many reservations but especially in the Pine Ridge Reservation is poverty. Most Americans read and hear about indigenous issues but don’t realize the amount of poverty and hardship that the indigenous people of The Pine Ridge Reservation experience.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Off Reserve Indians Research Paper
    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Off Reserve Indians Research Paper

    For many years the Indians have been challenging the government about how off-reserve Indians, “Métis”, were not granted the same rights as on-reserve Indians under The Constitution. The Federal Court made decision to grant off-reserve “Indians” the same rights under the constitution seeing as they had grown up and respect and live by this culture. The president of the Women of the Métis Nation states "we will no longer be a part of the political football that has us being tossed back and forth between the province and the federal government. " Many off-reserve “Indians” have been very largely impacted by this decision because it will allow them to get the help and status they need to preserve their families. Before off-reserve Indians were granted these rights they were always told they were a provincial problem but when they had gone to the province asking for their rights to be granted they sent them to the Federal government as a purview.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Chief Standing Bear
    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Chief Standing Bear

    Background Information and Thesis When America was still in its early years, Indians had a socioeconomic status less than that of a black person -- that is unless they became assimilated tax payers. The U.S. government toyed with them like puppets for years as America expanded west, forcibly securing them in federally controlled reservations under the guise of protecting them. By the mid 1800’s, all Native American tribes resided west of the Mississippi River on reservations due to the Indian Removal Act signed in 1830. Relationships between Indians and the government had been strained at best for decades. The government didn’t view Indians as human, which, in turn, made them think they could simply relocate the tribes whenever they pleased…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Native American Indian Culture
    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Native American Indian Culture

    Cultural competency is necessary for promoting health caring for patents. When cultural beliefs and values are valued, both the patient and the health care professional can achieve their goals (Sorrell, Smith, 1993). The Navajo Indian Tribe is the largest federally recognized Native American Indian Tribe in the United States. Their reservation is located through out the four corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Indigenous People Dbq
    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Indigenous People Dbq

    Throughout the past ten years, since UNDRIP was first signed, very little has been done to change and improve the lives of indigenous peoples. Although Native American tribes are historically rich in culture, tradition and customs, they are also full of injustice, suffering and tragedy from broken treaties to the lasting effects of assimilation. On reservations, education and poverty are issues that are Native People struggle with. “Native Americans continue to grapple with unemployment levels nearly double that of the overall population, have higher poverty rates and lag behind in education attainment” (Peralta, p.1). Education on reservations has had to follow standards set by states which contain culturally biased tests, curriculum and pedagogical practices.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Native American Mascot Controversy
    • 1267 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On Native American Mascot Controversy

    Not only do Native people have a long history of being cast aside by the government, but statistics show that over two million Native Americans face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and health problems. The graduation rates are dangerously low and the suicide rate among ages 15-34 are 2.5 times higher than the national average (Wulf). Suzan Harjo, a member of a rights group in Oklahoma stated, “We should listen to the oppressed about what is oppressive. The oppressor does not get to decide” (Anastasia). She believes anyone who is not Native American should not have a right to regulate or ignore pleas from the offended and that those who exercise unjust authority on anyone or any group should place their opinions aside and listen to others.…

    • 1267 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Misrepresentation In Canada
    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Misrepresentation In Canada

    Introduction The Indigenous people of Canada have been misrepresented in the media since the 20th Century. In core-relation to this misrepresentation, racism is a social determinant of health for Indigenous peoples. Stereotypes in the media continue to affect the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples by “impacting access to education, housing, food, security, and employment,” as well as “permeating societal systems and institutions.” (Allan & Smylie 2) As a result, Indigenous peoples are not given equal healthcare treatment in comparison to non-Indigenous Canadians.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Disadvantages Of Treble Citizenship
    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Disadvantages Of Treble Citizenship

    “Let me be a free man. Free to travel. Free to stop. Free to work. Free to think and talk and act for myself” - Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe Johnson v. McIntosh.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Native American Hunting Rights
    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Native American Hunting Rights

    Native American have specials rights that been reserved by federally recognized tribal nation which are land ownership, politic rights and fishing or hunting rights. One right that most Native Americans enjoy is the fishing and hunting rights which is a result of the treaties signed between the tribes and the federal government. For them, hunting and fishing were critically important as that were their primary source of food and trade goods. Even though they got the rights for fishing and hunting after ceded millions of acres of land to the federal government, but they thought that was worth it because among the reserved right that they got is “privilege of hunting on open and unclaimed lands”.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of Universal Dental Care
    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Pros And Cons Of Universal Dental Care

    When cost is identified as a barrier to care, public funding becomes appropriate and necessary. The increasing number of Canadians reporting cost as the main reason for not seeking dental care calls for the Government to urgently address barriers to affordable dental care. Universal coverage could be included in the national system of health insurance as most research identify dental insurance as a major predictor of access and utilization of dental care.5 This policy potentially protects the “working poor”, who because of their working status are not eligible for publicly funded services, while at the same time their jobs do not provide dental insurance.13 With more Canadians not having dental coverage, there is concern that less people are accessing this vital service. Hence, any policy that removes…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Effects Of Colonization On Indigenous People
    • 1576 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Effects Of Colonization On Indigenous People

    Colonization has had a great impact on the lives of Indigenous people. Since the first European settlers came to Canada, the way of life, traditions, and culture of Indigenous people have been threatened. Additionally, their mental and physical health have been impacted by methods of assimilation and government policies . Numerous diseases were introduced to Native communities thanks to the contact with Europeans . However, the social conditions of Indigenous people also contributed to the creation of health problems .…

    • 1576 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    What Is Apartheid And Economic/Political Disempowerment?
    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What Is Apartheid And Economic/Political Disempowerment?

    Race and racial inequality have powerfully shaped American history from the very beginning. Americans think of the founding of the American colonies and, later, the United States, as driven by the quest for freedom when initially, religious liberty and later political and economic liberty. Still, from the beginning, American society was equally founded on brutal forms of domination, inequality, and oppression which lead to the foundation of two models of minority exclusion known as Apartheid and Economic/political disempowerment. Apartheid meaning “state of being apart” is “An official policy of racial segregation, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites” (Wk:3, Lecture 1). Originated in South Africa apartheid…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Native American Social Structure Essay
    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Native American Social Structure Essay

    Social Structure: The major components of social structure are culture, social class, social status, roles, groups and social institutions. Use each of these social structure variables to explain why Native Americans have such a low rate of college graduation. (See Table 9.3 on page 234 in your Henslin textbook). Minority groups must endure a great deal of inequality to gain success in the United States.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings