One of Six States to Receive an 'A' Grade
Connecticut is a national leader in addressing the dental health needs of its children, according to a report released by the Pew Center on the States. The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children, released with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the DentaQuest Foundation, grades each state's policy responses to the urgent challenges in dental health among America's children.
Connecticut received an "A" grade for meeting six of the eight policy benchmarks in Pew's analysis. The state ranks fourth in the nation for its Medicaid reimbursement rate to dentists that has helped expand children's access to preventive services. More than 41 percent of the children on Medicaid in Connecticut received dental care in 2007, exceeding the national average. Children's access to care in the state has been made easier by the state's willingness to allow dental hygienists to provide sealants in schools without requiring a dentist's exam. However, lawmakers in Connecticut can do more to ensure access to dental care for its children by supporting school sealant programs in more high-risk schools and authorizing a new primary care dental provider who could treat more children.
"Connecticut policy makers are leading the way in providing cost effective dental care to the children who most need it," said Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children's Dental Campaign. "That doesn't mean their job is done. There are additional measures that can help eliminate the long-term health and economic consequences of untreated dental disease among kids."
February is National Children's Dental Health Month. Nationwide, an estimated one in five children, or 17 million, goes without dental care each year and two thirds of states do not have key policies in place to ensure proper dental health and access to care for children.
Pew scored all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using an A-F scale, on whether and how well they are employing eight proven policy solutions at their disposal to ensure dental health and access to care for children. These policies fall into four categories: cost-effective ways to help prevent problems from occurring in the first place; Medicaid improvements that enable and motivate more dentists to treat children; new workforce models that expand the number of qualified dental providers; and gathering data to gauge progress and improve performance.
Connecticut and five other states merited "A" grades: Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Carolina. These states met at least six of the eight policy benchmarks and had policies in place that met or exceeded the national performance standards. Nine states received a grade of "B": Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas and Washington. Twenty states received a grade of "C" because they met four or fewer of the eight policy benchmarks. Six states and the District of Columbia earned a "D" grade: Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada and Utah. Nine states earned an "F," meeting only one or two policy benchmarks: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, Hawaii, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming. No state met all eight targets. New Jersey ranked lowest in the nation, meeting only one benchmark.