The Arizona Dental Association (AzDA) formally logged its opposition this week to a proposal by Gov. Jan Brewer to eliminate a state program that pays for emergency dental care for adults.
The benefit is currently limited to emergency root canal treatment on front teeth and to emergency extractions. More than 400,000 people will lose access to dental services if this benefit is cut, according to the AzDA.
Eliminating the benefit will actually worsen the state's budget deficit by shifting expenses to hospital emergency rooms, private providers, and community health centers, the AzDA warned. In addition, the failure to effectively treat a dental infection can lead to severe medical complications -- aggravating underlying medical conditions -- and could, in some cases, lead to death, the organization said in a press release.
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