More than 16 million low-income children go each year without seeing a dentist, and the consequences negatively affect their education and overall health. Some states are making major strides to address this need, while others are falling very far short, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States.
In this year's 50-state report card by the Pew Children's Dental Campaign, seven states earned an A grade, but five earned an F. Even so, 22 states raised their 2010 grades, revealing that even in a time of fiscal distress, dental health policies can be improved, Pew noted.
The report card, The State of Children's Dental Health: Making Coverage Matter, assesses states' ability to serve insured and soon-to-be-insured children. By 2014, an additional 5.3 million kids will secure dental coverage under the federal healthcare reform law enacted in 2010, Pew noted. To make coverage matter, expanded insurance must be coupled with state policies that meaningfully improve children's access to care.
The 2011 Pew report card, produced with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the DentaQuest Foundation, also revealed the following:
- Of the 22 states raising their grades from 2010, six of them have improved by at least two letter grades.
- Only seven achieved A grades.
- Twenty-three made no progress over last year's grades.
- Of the five states earning F's, three of them received their second consecutive failing grade.
The full report will be released May 24.
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