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By Stacey Auger, MPH, policy consultant, CareQuest Institute Oral health has been in the national spotlight recently thanks to a May 16 hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). The focus of the hearing was the dental crisis facing the US and how to make dental care more affordable and available to all. 

As a filmmaker, Paul Gibbs tells other people’s stories for a living. He didn’t know his own story — about trying to access oral health care — would have such a profound impact. “My dental care experience turned out to be much more expensive, invasive, and painful than it needed to be,” Gibbs says. “And it was because while my doctors had recognized that oral health is part of the overall larger picture, my insurance didn’t.” 

In November 2020, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital (MVH) Dental Clinic, the only clinic on the island accepting Massachusetts Medicaid (MassHealth), closed, worsening health care disparities for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (WTGH). For many tribe members, including elders, removing local access to oral health care highlighted broader issues of limited provider availability, geographical isolation, and the challenges of traveling off-island for care. 

“If they had a job, they could get real insurance and afford to get their teeth fixed.” “People are lazy if they have state insurance. They’re not as educated as others.” “Anyone could go to the dentist if they wanted to. They are choosing not to or not prioritizing it.” These are common perceptions about patients who struggle to access oral health care — a frequent topic during Wisconsin Medical-Dental Integration (MDI) Advisory Council quarterly meetings. 

By Wai-Sum Leung, MS, RDH, and Stephanie Clester, MA, RDH As dental professionals and health care providers, we should recognize that every patient is unique in their care needs and will have specialized, unequal, treatment plans. In other words, dental clinics should promote health equity. 

Whether it’s supporting coalitions that advocate for Medicaid adult dental benefit expansion or awarding funds to help organizations provide oral health care to patients with developmental differences, the CareQuest Institute Philanthropy team invests strategically to promote healthy communities and improve the

More and more baby boomers turn 65 every day, the magic age of Medicare eligibility. Recent estimates predict that 95 million seniors and people with disabilities will count on Medicare for their health insurance by 2060. 

Nearly all Arizonans say oral health is important to them. But not all Arizonans have an easy time accessing care — especially those individuals without dental coverage. Arizona Medicaid adult dental benefits only cover emergencies and are capped at $1,000 with very few exceptions. For almost a decade, the Arizona Oral Health Coalition (AZOHC) has been working to change that and expand the Medicaid adult dental benefit in the state. Stories have been at the heart of that work — stories like Janessa’s. 

Medical and oral health experts have long agreed that dental care in pregnancy is safe, effective, and important. Untreated dental disease can lead to pregnancy complications and raise the risk of cavities in childhood. However, more than 8 in 10 obstetricians don’t routinely conduct oral exams. Some dental providers may also still hesitate to treat pregnant people. 

By Renee Clark, Care Coordination & Interoperability Manager at CareQuest Institute Welcome to the first installment in our blog series about transforming oral health!