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Abstract: 

Dentistry is an essential legal and policy component of health care in correctional institutions. Studies consistently demonstrate that offenders have a disproportionate amount of dental disease compared to the community at large. Many have risk factors for oral diseases such as tobacco and alcohol use, drug abuse, poor oral hygiene, and a diet high in refined carbohydrates. For many offenders, incarceration provides the first real opportunity for dental awareness through education efforts and access to care on an ongoing basis. This makes basic dental care a high priority, and fully integrating oral health/dental services into the overall health program is critical to the success of any correctional health program. This article offers a comprehensive blueprint and checklist for designing, budgeting, staffing, organizing, and managing a correctional dental program, covering policies and procedures, essential personnel, facility design, standard of care and documentation, scope of services, intake screening and dental examinations, treatment planning, informed consent, lab services, and risk and quality management, credentialing, and peer review.

Keywords: Dental service modalities; emergency and urgent care; extraction only policy; interceptive care; denture/prosthetic care; radiographic examinations; oral health aids; jaw fractures.

Affiliations:  1: Federal Bureau of Prisons; 2: Federal Bureau of Prisons; 3: Federal Bureau of Prisons.