In the News

And plenty of people are paying out-of-pocket: Some 77 million American adults did not have dental insurance last year, according to a survey on inequities in oral health care run by the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.  Read the full article. 

In contrast, earlier this year CareQuest Institute for Oral Health®, a non-profit focused on contributing to a better national oral health system, released a report suggesting several oral health risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes. Among these health risks, says the report, are gum disease, dental decay, bone loss, and hairy tongue. The paper said that medical professionals need to educate their patients about these risks, however it did not compare the relative benefits for users when they switch from smoking cigarettes.

Florida is the top state for non-trauma related pediatric emergency room visits, according to the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. That situation is set to become worse, with 14 million adults across the country -- including 764,199 in Florida -- expected to lose oral health coverage due to states redetermining the eligibility of their Medicaid populations.

Kaz Rafia - Chief Health Equity Officer at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health (Boston) Mr. Rafia is the inaugural chief health equity officer at CareQuest, which he has successfully transitioned into a sustainable and impactful grantmaking institution. In his role, is particularly focused on increasing health equity, Medicare and Medicaid advocacy, safety net clinics and healthcare workforce support. He is active in the Health Equity Compact and contributes to their efforts towards health equity in the state of Massachusetts. 

The shortage was cited in a report released earlier this year describing the “disproportionate burden” of oral health disease faced by American Indians and Native Alaskans in the U.S. from childhood onward, a crisis it said was rooted in structural racism and exacerbated by a lack of access to healthy food and stable housing.

A recent white paper from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID), and the National Indian Health Board’s (NIHB) Tribal Oral Health Initiative helps explain why.

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, has awarded more than $2.7 million in grant funds so far this year to help advance equity through oral health. The grants, awarded to nine organizations, support on-the-ground efforts across the country to dismantle unjust structures and systems that drive disparities related to access to care, treatment, and outcomes.

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, has awarded more than $2.7 million in grant funds so far this year to help advance equity through oral health. The grants, awarded to nine organizations, support on-the-ground efforts across the country to dismantle unjust structures and systems that drive disparities related to access to care, treatment, and outcomes. Read the full article. 

In fact, some of those changes are already underway, and according to the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, more than 14 million adults in the U.S. are at risk of losing dental care now that Medicaid re-eligibility checks are underway. Read the full article. 

The CareQuest Institute of Oral Health has released a report urging U.S. states to extend Medicaid postpartum oral health coverage from 60 days to 12 months. Read the full article.