Durbin Introduces Legislation To Bolster Public Health Efforts To Improve Dental Health

Durbin Introduces Legislation To Bolster Public Health Efforts To Improve Dental Health

The Promoting Dental Health Act would extend funding for CDC's Oral Health program for the next five years

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Promoting Dental Health Act to reauthorize funding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Oral Health program for the next five years. The CDC's Oral Health program receives $20.25 million in annual funding for a range of public health activities to promote oral health. This includes funding 15 states to prevent cavities, gum disease, and other painful and serious conditions through dental education, data collection, school-based sealant care for low-income children, workforce development, and research into gaps in patient care.

Currently, Illinois is unfunded by the CDC's program and has not received a grant in two decades because the Oral Health program, which has not been reauthorized in a decade, is not adequately funded to serve every state. However, 2.8 million Illinoisans live in communities with a shortage of dental providers, and only 37 percent of children covered by Medicaid have a dental visit in a given year. One study found that it is nearly six times easier for a child with private insurance to get an oral health care appointment than those who have Medicaid.

"Dental care, especially for our youngest Illinoisans, is a fundamental part of staying healthy. It's critical that oral health care is easily accessible to Americans, regardless of where they live or their income," said Durbin. "My legislation, the Promoting Dental Health Act, will ensure that the CDC Oral Health program has the resources necessary to serve more Americans and prevent serious dental disease."

Good oral health is essential to overall health and well-being, helping to avoid pain and infections and reduce the risk of chronic diseases-including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. While most oral health conditions are preventable and can be treated in early stage, more than 50 percent of children and more than 25 percent of adults in the U.S. have cavities, according to CDC. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of children and adults have periodontitis.

Nearly 70 million Americans do not have dental insurance - more than twice the number of Americans who do not have medical insurance. Compounding the problem, 64 million Americans lack access to a dentist or other oral health professionals and live in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area. Without access to insurance and preventative care, too many Americans are forced to visit the emergency room for dental emergencies, driving up health care costs.

Today's new legislation is one part of Durbin's comprehensive initiative to bolster access to comprehensive health care in rural communities and to address the nationwide shortage of dental and health care professionals. In May 2023, Durbin released his "Roadmap to Grow Illinois' Rural Health Workforce," which includes partnering with Illinois dentists to organize efforts to provide new funding to address health care workforce shortages and staffing crises in rural Illinois.

Durbin also authored a provision in the American Rescue Plan to invest $1 billion into the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which funds scholarships and loan repayment for new doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health clinicians who commit to serve in rural and urban areas of need. Medical professionals can graduate with student debt of more than $200,000, which can discourage them from pursuing these careers in the first place, or lead to them choosing to practice in high-paying specialties or in more affluent and urban areas. The NHSC program helps build the pipeline of new health providers and surge them to shortage areas. Today, Illinois has nearly 900 health professionals serving under the NHSC program.

The Promoting Dental Health Act has earned endorsements from the American Dental Association (ADA); American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); and American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD).

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