Total

05

30

01

04

02

07

16 39 23

49

21

27 23

22

62

30 52 22

22

03

06

03

32

24 24

26

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

· 24

all Grade Groups. For Grade Group I, the percentages are 33% vs. 18%; Grade Group II shows 55% vs. 28%; finally, and not

surprisingly, Grade Group III recorded the highest degree of financial hardship, 55% vs. 39%.

The hardship for the lower income military group in paying for the needed dental care for their families was expressed in an incisive comment by an Air Force Master Sergeant:

"Being a Master Sergeant I find it difficult at times
to pay dental bills. But my main concern is for the
lower grade Airmen who cannot possibly provide den-
tal care for their dependents. I feel a great injus-
tice is done to all lower grade Airmen E-4 and below
who are not provided Military Dental Care."

A further thought here is that inability to provide preventive dental care at an early age may jeopardize the dependent's health and may accumulate in a compounded fashion the dental care needs of military dependents at a later date.

The spectrum of difficulties for both military and civilian by Grade Group in paying for dependent dental care were expressed in qualitative terms in the free response remarks appended by the respondents. The lowest income group expressed substantial difficulty in meeting the costs of sustained and special

treatment. The middle-income sample (Grade Group II) had

financial difficulty when dental bridge and plate work were required, and Grade Group I, joined in as well, when orthodonture work entered the picture.

Representative verbatim comments provided by the respondents on these and other aspects of dependent dental care are presented in the final portion of the report which follows.

"Due to the limited civilian dental facilities nearby, my family makes appointments by telephone with a dentist 120 miles away. Appointments are easier to get, and charges are less away from military impacted

areas.

."Probably the biggest problem I've encountered in
securing dental care for my dependents at my present
duty assignment is the distance we're required to
travel to get to the dentist. In the summer it is
inconvenient, in the winter in this climate it might
be impossible. At best, a trip to the dentist requires
a whole afternoon..

Arriving new at the base I had no idea or recommenda-
tion of which dentist to go to. As it was, I am not
sure I was treated fairly by the one I did select.
It would help if our base dental organization could
maintain a list of qualified dentists experience had
shown treated service families fairly."

"I would like to see the military provide at least check-up, cleaning and fluoride treatment along with x-ray availability. This way most people would catch problems and take them tọ their civilian dentists before their teeth were in bad shape and while the cost of repair was low."

"I feel that the military should supply dependent
dental care. Civilian dental treatment is very expen-
sive and not always available when desired or needed.
This local area, Cherry Point and Havelock, N.C.,
has only one dentist that will take young children.
Several dentists are located in the Newburn and More-
head City areas, which is a distance of twenty miles.
Treatment can be obtained at these locations.
Military treatment would be much appreciated by this
individual.