For decades many West Virginians have, well, gritted our teeth at the stereotype of Mountain State residents with bad teeth. It goes right along with other stereotypes such as those involving whether we wear shoes.
Unfortunately, there is some truth behind the bad teeth perception. Studies of dental health in our state frequently conclude that too many West Virginia children don't get good dental care.
That's where another stereotype - common within the state as well as outside its borders - comes into play, to judge by a study conducted at Marshall University. The theory that many Mountain State children don't get good dental care because they lack health insurance isn't accurate in many cases, according to the study.
Marshall researchers, working through a program that offers free dental care at schools, found that more than two of five children seen during the first year of the program had decayed teeth that had not been treated. But they also learned nearly 90 percent of those children had some type of insurance coverage.
Another report concluded that nearly half of the children in that program do not see dentists regularly - though about 78 percent have insurance that would cover such visits.
As we have pointed out in the past, government programs such as Medicaid certainly are lacking in how they provide for dental care for children. Some dentists complain their Medicaid reimbursements sometimes don't even cover the cost of treatment.
But it appears even those complaining dentists continue to provide care to low-income children.
So, what's the problem? Why aren't more West Virginia children being taken to the dentist?
Because their parents too often don't take them, according to the Marshall study. "I truly believe it's an educational thing," commented Bobbi Muto of Marshall. She added she believes many parents don't "place a value on dental care and dental services like we should."
That is disturbing, to say the least.
But what can we do about it? That is a very good question.
Clearly, more needs to be done to convince parents - perhaps through their school-age children - of the need for good dental care. If we can't find some way to accomplish that, we as a state may well be guilty of living up to another stereotype - that we West Virginians aren't very bright.