The Cost of Delay
State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children
- Children's Dental Campaign
- Contact Matt Jacob 202.540.6310
- February 23, 2010
Quick Summary
An estimated one in five children go without dental care each year. States play a key role in ensuring that low-income children have access to basic, preventive dental care.The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children finds that two-thirds of states are doing a poor job. The report was produced by the Pew Center on the States with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the DentaQuest Foundation.
Pew assessed and graded states and the District of Columbia on eight proven policy solutions that ensure dental health and access to care. A 50-state report card shows that just six states earned an “A” and that 36 states received a “C” or lower.
Report Assets
- Date:
- February 23, 2010
- Contacts:
- Matt Jacob | 202.540.6310
- Project:
- Children's Dental Campaign
- Issues:
- Dental Health
Related RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
-
- Issue Brief
- Children's Dental Campaign
Dental Therapists in New Zealand: What the Evidence Shows
This brief provides an overview of New Zealand’s use of dental therapists to provide care for children, and offers insights for U.S. policymakers about how midlevel providers can expand children’s access to dental care, prevent and treat tooth decay, and improve public health. more
-
- Report
- Children's Dental Campaign
Falling Short
Pew’s 50-state report finds that most states are not doing enough to use a proven strategy for preventing tooth decay, unnecessarily driving up health care costs for families and taxpayers.
more -
- Infographic
- Children's Dental Campaign
Most States Lag on Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are clear plastic coatings that prevent tooth decay and take only a few minutes to apply to the chewing surfaces of permanent molars, the most cavity-prone teeth. more