Pew’s Children’s Dental Campaign promotes cost-effective policies to expand access to dental care and ensure millions more children receive the basic care they need to grow, learn, and lead healthy lives.
Why Dental Care Matters
Dental care is the greatest unmet need among children. In 2009, more than 16 million low-income children went without care. Tooth decay affects nearly 60 percent of kids. If untreated, the consequences can be painful and disruptive to learning and daily activities. In extreme cases, untreated decay can lead to serious, potentially life-threatening infections.
The Dental Care Policies We Promote
Our research and advocacy efforts focus on four efficient, cost-effective strategies:
- Expanding the number of professionals who can provide high-quality dental care to low-income children;
- Ensuring that Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program work better for kids and for providers so that insurance coverage translates into real care;
- Expanding access to fluoridated water; and
- Increasing sealant programs for kids who need them most.
How We Conduct Our Work
We work with lawmakers; government officials; dental providers; national, state, and local organizations; researchers; and the private sector, targeting states in which policy changes can dramatically improve children’s lives. For example, Pew is working in several states to explore the creation of new types of dental providers—similar to nurse practitioners in the medical field—to work in collaboration with dentists and expand care for underserved kids.
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The LATEST from the Project
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Traditional Dentistry Wary of Dental Therapists
Crystal Ann Baker isn't a dentist, but she fills cavities, pulls teeth and even performs children's root canals.
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Inside Maine's Mouth
Last summer, 29-year-old "Jane," who lives in Portland, had a serious problem involving an "old root canal gone wrong."
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Dental Program Launches Chester Outreach
Keystone Mercy Health Plan and Dentex Dental Group, a Philadelphia-based dental care company, are teaming up to bring a new mobile dental health program called “Chester Smiles” to residents in the city.
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Hidden America: Medicaid's Youngest Face Dental Crisis
With more than 16 million low-income U.S. children on Medicaid not receiving dental care—or even a routine exam—in 2009, according to the Pew Center on the States, dentists and ERs say they are treating very young patients with teeth blackened from decay and bacteria and multiple cavities.
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Do Dentists Turn Away Children?
ABC World News Tonight airs a story about the serious challenges that many low-income children have finding dentists to care for them. The story cites data from the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign.
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Medicaid Coverage Is No Guarantee of Care
Adults on Medicaid in Missouri have to be blind, pregnant or in a nursing home to qualify for dental care. It’s better for children.
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April 12, 2012
Expansion of the Dental Workforce – Frequently Asked Questions
Expanding the current dental workforce is one component of a larger effort to help states find cost-effective policies to ensure that underserved Americans receive timely and quality dental care. The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign supports state efforts to expand the dental team to serve children who lack access to care. This FAQ addresses key questions about expanding the oral health care workforce. more
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- Project Update
- Children's Dental Campaign
Water Fluoridation: What the Science Says
Several individuals with extensive knowledge of public health research share their conclusions about water fluoridation based on the scientific evidence. more
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- Analysis
- Children's Dental Campaign
Slideshow: New Types of Dental Providers in Alaska Help Close the Access Gap
Learn more about how dental health aide therapists (DHATs) serve Alaska’s tribal communities. more
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- Media Coverage
- Children's Dental Campaign
Utahns With Untreated Dental Problems Turning Up in ERs
Scott Youngquist is trained to save lives, not pull teeth. But rarely does the emergency room doctor end a 12 hour shift at University Hospital without seeing at least one dental complaint — from cavities to abscesses. It is a national problem spotlighted Feb. 26 in a report by the Pew Center on the States.
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