AADR/ADEA Testify Before House Energy And Commerce Subcommittee On Health In Support Of Access To Dental Care, USA

On behalf of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), Nicholas G. Mosca, D.D.S., testified on March 27, 2007, at the hearing, "Insuring Bright Futures: Improving Access to Dental Care and Providing a Healthy Start for Children."


Mosca, a member of the ADEA/AADR National Oral Health Advocacy Committee (NOHAC), Clinical Professor of Pediatric and Public Health Dentistry at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry, and Dental Director for the state of Mississippi, discussed the importance of access to dental care and the role that academic dental institutions play in providing care and educating the future dental workforce to meet the growing need and demand for oral heath care in the United States.



"Academic dental institutions are dental homes for a broad array of racially and ethnically diverse patients including individuals who have low-incomes; are migrant workers; mentally, medically or physically disabled individuals; institutionalized and homebound individuals; as well as HIV/AIDS patients; poor children and families and uninsured individuals," said Mosca, who highlighted the need to address disparities in the oral health of underserved and high-risk communities, adding that, "As major providers of services to underserved populations, academic dental institutions play a major role in enhancing private sector initiatives that support expanded access to dental care."



In conclusion, Mosca urged Congress to enhance the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which would result in greater access to vital preventive and restorative oral health care services by adopting the following recommendations: 1) Establish a federal guarantee for dental coverage in SCHIP; 2) Develop a dental wrap-around benefit in SCHIP; 3) Facilitate ongoing outreach efforts to enroll all eligible children in SCHIP and Medicaid; and 4) Ensure reliable data reporting on dental care in SCHIP and Medicaid.


Mosca further urged Congress to ensure adequate funding of the federal programs, namely Medicaid and SCHIP, the Dental Health Improvement Act, Title VII General and Pediatric Dentistry Programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Oral Health Program, the Ryan White Modernization and Treatment Act, and the Title VII diversity and student aid programs which include the Health Careers Opportunity Program, the Centers of Excellence, and the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students.


The mission of the American Association for Dental Research is to increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; to support and represent the oral health research community; and to facilitate the communication and application of research findings.


The mission of the American Dental Education Association is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research and the delivery of oral health care for the improvement of the health of the public.


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