Dental clinics in Utah are struggling to accommodate indigent patients since the state cut Medicaid dental benefits for adults starting July 1, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The 40,000 people affected are overwhelming low-cost clinics, the newspaper reported. For example, the Maliheh Free Clinic has a four-month waiting list for patients to have teeth extracted by a retired dentist who comes once or twice a week for three hours at a time.
And the Salt Lake Donated Dental Services had to institute a lottery system because people were camping out overnight to improve their chances of being seen that day, according to the paper.
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