Statement recommends a broad array of federal policies to promote optimal oral health for all children

On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to discuss various ways to make oral health care more accessible and affordable for Americans. This included support for workforce strategies, Medicaid adult dental benefits, oral health literacy, and student debt relief. 

The AAPD submitted a written Statement for the Record that detailed a number of priority AAPD federal policy recommendations such as:

• Support the HRSA Title VII oral health program, including the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP).
• Pass the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act.
• Support the AAPD’s rural oral health call to action RPC report issued in 2023.
• Improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by:
  • Making pediatric oral health coverage mandatory for families with children, either through an appropriately structured stand-alone dental plan (SADP) or embedded medical plan.
  • Exempting preventive dental services from any cost sharing (deductibles or co-pays) in embedded medical plans and SADPs, and require separate dental deductibles in embedded plans.
• Pass, S. 3597, the Promoting Dental Health Act, to reauthorize the Division of Oral in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Provide adequate resources for the Chief Dental Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Read the full AAPD written statement here.

The ADA also submitted a written statement that highlighted key data trends in different age groups. They indicated that over the past two decades there has been steady improvements among children, particularly for low-income and non-White children. Several states’ dental care utilization rates for Medicaid-insured children rival those provided to privately-insured children.

For any questions, please contact Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel C. Scott Litch at 773-938-4759 or slitch@aapd.org.