Obama's Healthcare Bill May Give Children More Affordable Dental Care

By Susan Braden
Published Jul 27 2010

Obama’s healthcare reform legislation expands access to affordable dental care through provisions that invest especially in children’s oral health. The Children’s Dental Health Project applauds the legislation, saying that a healthy mouth is just as important as medical health, and now millions of children are now eligible to receive affordable care.

The legislation not only helps people correct tooth problems -- it also works to promote early prevention. Oral disease is the most common childhood disease, especially among low-income families who do not have access to affordable treatment. The U.S. Surgeon General called it a "silent epidemic," since many people do not yet see the importance of maintaining proper oral hygiene.

The legislation specifically addresses oral health in these ways:

• Expands Medicaid coverage, which will receive more money from the federal government in every state. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extends for five years through the legislation, and it addresses dentist and specialist payments through those programs. This helps make affordable care more accessible.
• Supports state initiatives to provide awareness and prevention programs through scientific data collection and leadership development.
• Supports public oral care centers to raise awareness for affordable school-and-community-based programs. A commission will study workforce capacity in the oral healthcare field.
• Provides grants for new dentists to advance their study. Dentists will have the opportunity to expand their own education as well as educate future oral healthcare providers serving disadvantaged populations and rural areas.
• Includes a provision to track and monitor the health of America’s teeth, especially among pregnant women, through federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control intends to better learn how to raise public awareness.
• Provides initiatives for public schools in all 50 states, including research grants and sealant programs, in order to prevent and manage tooth decay in young children.
• Expands dental coverage for young children in general to provide wider access to oral health and affordable care.

The legislation may or may not deliver everything it promises, but steps have been taken to improve children's teeth and provide affordable dental treatment to those who may otherwise have no access.