March 05, 2007
Lack of Insurance Leads to Boys Death
A lack of dental insurance lead to the death of a twelve year old boy.
From the Washington Post (Registration Required):
Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.
By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died.
The story goes on to say only about 30% of children on Medicaid get dental care.
A little over a month ago we blogged about dental care and insurance but the story of this Prince Charles boy is picking up momentum.
You can watch a high quality NBC video of the story here.