Millions of disadvantaged children suffer sub-par dental care, but two-thirds of US states do a poor job delivering basic services to this population, according to a report issued this week by the Pew Center on the States in collaboration with the DentaQuest and W. K. Kellogg Foundations. Because there are a variety of solutions to this problem, the Pew study, “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children,” ranks states according to their success in implementing proven and cost effective policies to improve disadvantaged children’s access to dental care.
Policies highlighted in the study include: availability of school based sealant programs, state policies that support hygienists assessing and applying sealants without a previous exam by a dentisst; the provision of optimally fluoridated water to at least 75% of citizens on community systems; the availability of dental services to Medicaid-enrolled children such that the state exceeds the national average of Medicaid children who receive dental services; reimbursement of medical providers for preventive dental health services, and state authorization of new types of primary care dental providers. Of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, only six merited “A”. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia received a grade of C or below.
For the full report, go to http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Cost_of_Delay_web.pdf