The Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) today responded to a new report from The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign, a national program of The Pew Charitable Trusts that seeks to increase access to dental care for children. The report seeks to raise awareness for problems facing children’s dental care by ranking each of the 50 states across various measures for improving care. While Connecticut was one of only six states to receive an ‘A’ grade, the CSDA cautioned that there is still much work to be done to improve Connecticut’s dental care systems.
The inaugural report, titled “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children,” reviews each of the 50 states and grades them on how well they are employing “eight proven and promising policy approaches to ensure dental health and access to care for disadvantaged children.
Pew estimates that 17 million low-income children in America go without dental care each year, representing one out of every five children between the ages of 1 and 18.
“Dental care is a vitally important and, unfortunately, often overlooked aspect of children’s healthcare. Oral health is essential for a child’s overall health, well being, and development,” said Dr. Bruce Tandy, President of CSDA. “With twice as many people in the United States lacking dental insurance compared to health insurance, it’s vital that state’s make every effort to improve access and care for children. Connecticut should be proud of what it has accomplished – we’ve shown that the challenges of ensuring disadvantaged children’s dental health and access to care are ones that can be overcome in time.”
However, Dr. Tandy warned that the report should not allow the state to “rest on its laurels” when it comes to dental care.
“If anything, this report should motivate Connecticut to work even harder to make sure that other populations within our state – such as the elderly and low-income adults – have access to equally high-quality care,” continued Tandy. “In recent months and years, the CSDA and other organizations have fought to expand Medicaid access and to promote strategies and policies that benefit our patients, such as the use of sealants and fluoridated water. But that fight is not over. Many children and adults still go without adequate care. Given Connecticut’s economic struggles it will be vital that in the months and years ahead our state continues to focus on long-term solutions to our dental care needs.”
About Connecticut State Dental Association
The Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) has 2,700 members including dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants. As the trusted leader and voice for oral health care in CT, the CSDA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1864. For more information about the CSDA, visit the Association's Web site at www.csda.com.
The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign
The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign is a national effort that seeks to increase access to dental care for children and to raise awareness of the problems surrounding children’s care, to recruit influential leaders to call for change and to advocate in states where policy changes can dramatically improve children’s lives.
