Healthy Marin

Why is this important?
The impact of untreated oral health conditions disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations and contributes to such conditions as cardiovascular disease and poor pregnancy and birth outcomes.

“I know it's a long history of more than 100 years of why dental services are separate from medical health, so it's very political, but we need to see it as one thing. When people don't have good dental hygiene, it can affect their other health needs.”
—Key Informant

What the data say:

56% of adults in Marin have dental insurance.
In 2016, only 22% of Medi-Cal-eligible adults in Marin had an annual dental visit.
Between 2012 and 2016, Marin had a 30% higher age-adjusted rate of oral cavity and pharynx cancer (13.13/100,000) than the statewide age-adjusted rate (10.04/100,000).
In 2016, only 65% of incoming kindergarten students had a dental screening through the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment.

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