Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Dental Coverage and Access for Medicaid-Enrolled Adults
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چکیده
large proportion of low‐income American adults face persistent, systemic barriers to oral health care – key among them, inadequate dental coverage. While states are federally mandated to provide comprehensive dental coverage for Medicaid‐enrolled children, dental benefits are optional for adult Medicaid beneficiaries, despite growing recognition of the consequences of poor oral health. These can include: high rates of untreated tooth decay and tooth loss; elevated risks for chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease;1 reduced employability; and expensive hospital emergency department visits for preventable dental needs such as tooth pain and dental abscesses.2
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