Dentists with the Northwest Community Health Center say, they're turning away as many dental emergencies per day as they're taking in. They simply can't handle the load. The continuing crisis among the poor and uninsured has prompted a major study, by the Salt Lake City/County Board of Health. On the Nightbeat, Ed Yeates has more on the story.

These three dental chairs at the Northwest Community Health Center are full almost all the time now - and the caseload continues climbing.

In addition to routine dental care, Dr. Wayne Cottam and his colleagues are treating seven to eight dental emergencies per day - and it's been that way for the past eight months. An almost equal number are turned away.

((WAYNE COTTAM, DENTIST, NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER: "WE ASK THE PATIENTS TO CALL IN OVER THE PHONE, AND AVERAGE ON A DAY, FIVE TO SEVEN PATIENTS WE TURN AWAY OVER THE PHONE A DAY BECAUSE WE SIMPLY DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO SEE THEM."))

If the pain gets bad enough. Some of those who are turned away here may go to a hospital ER.

(("HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOMS HAVE NO DENTAL CLINICS, SO DOCTORS MAY GIVE THEM AN ANTIBIOTIC AND TELL THEM TO SEE A DENTIST - BEGINNING THE CYCLE ALL OVER AGAIN."))

The Salt Lake City/County Board of Health says this access problem for the poor and uninsured has lingered too long. It now wants some more stats - a study to see numbers beyond just the tip of the iceberg.

((LEWIS GARRETT, DIRECTOR, FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES, SLCC HEALTH DEPT: "I CAN'T TELL YOU THE NUMBER OF TIMES PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES HAVE COME TO ME WITH SPECIFIC CASES OF CHILDREN WHO HAD RELATIVELY SEVERE DENTAL PROBLEMS THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND RESOURCES TO GET THOSE KIDS IN FOR TREATMENT."))

The Board of Health says poor access to dentists for the uninsured is aggravated even more by the State's overall pathetic record for dental health.

More than 65 percent of children - 66 in the county alone - have dental disease.

The SLCC Health Department operates four medical clinics. But only one - Northwest here - is currently set up for dental care.

If it can find the money, the Health Department would like to open up more dental chairs, at other clinics. It's also asking private dentists--who can--to take on some of the cases, on a volunteer basis.