Home      Login


Oral Health Aids a Constitutional Right?  


Author:  Nicholas S. Makrides, D.M.D., M.P.H..


Source: Volume 15, Number 03, March/April 2014 , pp.39-40(2)




Correctional Health Care Report

< previous article |next article > |return to table of contents

Abstract: 

Are correctional facilities required to provide interdental aids to inmates? While toothbrushes generally can be agreed upon as an essential oral health aid, many jurisdictions have varying policies regarding the use of floss and other interdental aids. Dr. Makdrides weighs the health benefits of good oral hygiene—and the likelihood of court challenges against facilities that refuse to provide access to basic dental care items—against the security concerns of correctional administrators, drawing on NCCHC and ACA standards, the BOP Dental Services Policy, and court decisions on the issue including Whittington v. Ortiz, 307 Fed.Appx. 179 and Flanery v. Bonn, 604 F.3d 249.

Keywords: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Dental Services Policy

Affiliations:  1: Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Subscribers click here to open full text in PDF.
Non-subscribers click here to purchase this article. $13

< previous article |next article > |return to table of contents