Putting the mouth back into the body: Oral health in health care reform

The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 represented a historic step forward not only for reforming the nation's health care system but also for making oral health a true health care priority. Through nearly two dozen provisions, the ACA establishes a multi-faceted and integrated approach to addressing America's oral health crisis, especially among children. Through the new health insurance exchanges and the essential health benefits package, Congress extended comprehensive dental coverage to millions of children. In order to support this expansion in coverage, the law is also designed to improve education and training of oral health professionals, expand the oral health workforce, bolster state-level dental public health infrastructure, improve the existing data collection and surveillance systems, test new models of care delivery, and place a greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

While not all of these provisions have been funded, as states enroll new children in coverage leading up to 2014, we must begin to implement the greater policy framework established by the ACA in order to truly achieve better oral health at lower costs for more individuals. This presentationwill focus on an exploration of that framework, an examination of ongoing implementation efforts, and a look to the future for continued improvement.