WDA welcomes PEW Center on the States' review of children's dental health
WEST ALLIS, WIS., Feb. 23, 2010 – The Wisconsin Dental Association, which represents 83 percent of the state’s licensed dentists, today commended the PEW Center on the States for releasing its report card on dental health policies for children and helping raise awareness of the great need to do a better job for our nation’s low-income youngsters.
The state of Wisconsin earned a grade of “C” by meeting four out of eight policy benchmarks set forth in “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children.”
While 90 percent of the state’s residents on community systems have access to fluoridated water and dental sealants have been provided to nearly 30,000 children during the last nine years, Wisconsin fails to provide adequate access to dental care for three out of four children in its Medicaid system.
“This report is a wake-up call for our state. It confirms much of what dentists have been saying for years – Wisconsin children’s oral health is at risk,” says WDA President Dr. Kent Vandehaar, a general dentist in Chippewa Falls, Wis.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting American children – five times more common than asthma. TheNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reports 80 percent of tooth decay is found in just 25 percent of children, the majority of whom are in low-income families.
Moderate tooth decay during childhood restricts physical development, decreases the ability to learn and requires frequent emergency room visits and hospitalization. In some cases, untreated oral disease has been linked to more catastrophic illness and even death.
The state government reports about 1 million low-income children and adults, or 20 percent of Wisconsin residents, are beneficiaries of medical assistance programs at some point during a given year. State fee-for-service data for fiscal year 2006 (most recent available) shows that while these patients received $74 million in dental care, the state and federal governments combined paid just $32 million or 44 percent of those charges. Dentists donated the remaining $42 million in care to MA patients.
“In addition to this nonreimbursed MA care, Wisconsin dentists serve their communities and make a difference for underserved children and adults through charity care in their private practices and by volunteering with charitable dental clinics, the WDA Mission of Mercy, Give Kids A Smile® and other outreach programs,” Vandehaar explains. “However, charity is not a sufficient oral health care delivery system.”
“Most dental practices are small businesses that cannot accept a large number of MA patients due to the program’s below-cost reimbursement. With too many underfunded patients, their practices could collapse Vandehaar says.
A January 2010 dental work force report by University of Connecticut researchers indicates Wisconsin will have enough dentists through 2020. In addition, dentists in this state are very efficient and productive, utilizing dental team members more effectively than their counterparts nationally. However, there continues to be a gap in percentage of low-income children and adults who access dental care compared to those with higher incomes or private sector coverage.
The WDA proposes six legislative initiatives to improve dental access and the oral health of children and adults statewide:
Loan forgiveness and grants to encourage new dentists to settle in underserved areas
Dental prevention education for MA patients
Expanded function dental assistants to help dental offices currently treating low-income and MA patients increase the number of patients they can see
Allow dental hygienists to provide preventive services in a wider array of public health settings while maintaining connection with state public health bureau or a private-practicing dentist
Remove HMO program from dental MA in southeastern Wisconsin, replacing with fee-for-service system that saves money and delivers more care as noted in 2008 Legislative Audit Bureau report
Raise dental MA reimbursement to give patients greater access to comprehensive and continuous care in a dental home setting and save future treatment costs
“The WDA looks forward to working with legislators, the governor’s office, Department of Health Services and other oral health advocates to identify and implement programs that build upon the existing dental care delivery system to help Wisconsin successfully and efficiently address its access problem for children – and adults – while ensuring high quality care.”
The Wisconsin Dental Association was established in 1870. With more than 2,900 members statewide, the WDA represents 83 percent of all licensed, practicing dentists in Wisconsin. WDA members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. The WDA is headquartered in West Allis and has a legislative office in Madison. It is one of 53 constituent (state-territorial) dental societies of the American Dental Association - the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. For more information on the WDA, call 414-276-4520, visit our WDA.org Web site and find us onFacebook.