To celebrate the launch of its annual Fall for Smiles campaign and bring attention to the lack of oral healthcare resources for older adults in the U.S., Oral Health America (OHA) and Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, an initiative of the Dental Trade Alliance, hosted a briefing entitled "A State of Decay: Coming of Age Without Oral Healthcare" in Washington, DC, on September 11.
"This day on Capitol Hill is invaluable for us as an organization to come together with policymakers and leaders in the dental industry to bring attention to the importance of oral health on a national level," said OHA President and CEO Beth Truett in a news release. "Our country's older adult population is growing exponentially and is facing difficulties in accessing oral healthcare, in addition to more complicated oral health issues as they age."
According to a survey conducted this month by Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, 3M ESPE, and Crest + OralB, 35% of low-income older adults in the U.S. have not been to the dentist in four or more years, with most citing financial concerns, Truett noted.
The event honored Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for his work in addressing oral health disparities across the U.S. It also featured speakers R. Ivan Lugo, DMD, of Procter & Gamble; Roderick King, MD, MPH, from the Florida Public Health Institute; Gary Price of the Dental Trade Alliance; and Fay Donohue from DentaQuest, who spoke about payment systems and recommendations for older adult oral health.
Prior to the briefing, OHA's board of directors met with 38 members of the U.S. Congress to discuss funding oral healthcare provisions within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. OHA requested the following appropriations:
- Funding for Title VII of the Public Health Service Act, which funds the education and training of health professionals, including all members of the dental team, postdoctoral residencies and trainings, faculty development, and general and pediatric faculty loan repayment programs
- Funding for grants to study alternative oral health workforce providers to serve in rural and undeserved areas
- Funding for school-based sealant programs
- Funding for dental caries disease management grants
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