Dentist shortage weighed against necessity of exam

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, May 25, 2001 | 11:23 a.m.

The long wait for a dental appointment has been a rallying cry for supporters of Senate Bill 133, which would make it easier for dentists to move to Nevada by eliminating a clinical exam under certain circumstances.

However, the supposed three- to six-month delay wasn't evident during an informal survey taken Thursday of dental offices statewide.

The Las Vegas Sun's survey found the average wait to see a dentist in Clark County ranged from three days to as long as two weeks.

The wait for a dental cleaning, which is typically performed by a hygienist and not a dentist, was significantly longer -- one to three months.

In Washoe and Humboldt counties most dentists had openings for new patients within two weeks. Again, the wait for a cleaning was longer, up to four months.

Most dentists were willing to see patients with emergencies as soon as the next day. Several of the available dentists offered Spanish-speaking staff and many had weekend and evening hours.

Bobbette Bond, spokeswoman for the Culinary Union's health care division, said she wouldn't be surprised if a patient paying cash could get a quick dental appointment. It's the patients with less popular health insurance plans the dentists reject, said Bond, whose organization is fighting for the bill's passage.

Nevada has an artificial shortage of dentists caused by the unreasonable licensing demands, Bond said. The state does have a school for dental hygienists and encourages them to stay, she said.

Senate Bill 133 would allow dentists with at least five years' experience and a clean disciplinary record to be licensed in Nevada without first taking a clinical exam.

Dentists currently have to go to California for the clinical exam because Nevada lacks a dental school with the proper testing facilities.

A final vote on the bill could come as early as today.

Supporters of the bill say the number of dentists practicing in Nevada -- one of the lowest in the nation -- is preventing people from getting proper care. Opponents of the bill, including the Nevada Dental Association, say eliminating the clinical exam would only encourage substandard practitioners to relocate.

"Yes, Nevada doesn't have enough dentists, that's obvious," Las Vegas dentist Steven Saxe said. "Just like just about everything else in this state, we're behind. But you don't solve the problem by getting rid of a clinical exam designed to protect people."

Dwight Meierheny, a dentist for 37 years in Las Vegas and a former examiner on the state's dental board, said he was dismayed that the bill was being pushed through by the Culinary Union, which has launched an aggressive public campaign.

The union's interests are in lowering their members' payments for dental services, not the overall well-being of the state's residents, Meierhenry said.

The bill's supporters say the problem isn't limited to culinary workers. Sen. Ray Schaffer, D-North Las Vegas, said he authored the bill because many of his blue-collar constituents can't find affordable dental care.