Improving Access to Oral Healthcare Among Low-Income Older Adults

Investment in oral healthcare is needed to ensure impoverished older adults have access to dental services. Despite reductions in oral disease prevalence, lower income elders are disproportionately affected and often have no dental insurance. Public programs recognize the importance of oral health to overall health, but no funding has been allocated to ensure elders have access to timely, quality care, and dental providers have few incentives to participate in state Medicaid dental programs. States should boost dentists' participation to match demand and move to a preventive, early diagnosis approach in dentistry.