 Oral Health
Oral health involves more than regular dental check ups. Oral health encompasses many topics including public health and prevention efforts, provider issues and Medicaid. States often play an important role in creating, funding and administering dental health clinics.
According to the Surgeon General's 2000 report, "Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General," serious disparities exist in access to oral health care across the country, especially for low-income populations. Poor children are more than twice as likely as their peers to have dental decay and their disease is more likely to go untreated. Low-income people often have difficulty finding a dental provider who will treat them, even if they have Medicaid coverage or qualify for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
States have undertaken a number of strategies to address the access problems, such as providing incentives to dentists to serve people enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP, expanding the scope of practice for dental hygienists and other providers, and supporting education and prevention activities.
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