Oral health is finally being addressed in public policy initiatives in the United States, with advocates hoping to increase access, develop educational initiatives, and to extend training opportunities. At present, Medicare only covers less than one percent of dental services, with patients older than 65 not even covered for basic dental services. New policy proposals designed to address this issue include Congressional interest in expanding dental health coverage and improving the number and quality of providers, and further training supported with a federal grant initiative, the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. There are also motions to support disease prevention and the promotion of health, supported by the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act 2016, which will offer oral health screenings. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will also help to develop the family caregiving resource that could help raise awareness of oral health issues, and the Action for Dental Health Act of May 12, 2016 will enable applications for oral health grants from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Though these initiatives will alleviate the oral health crisis, more needs to be done to fully address the problem of dental health in older adults.
Oral health is finally being addressed in public policy initiatives in the United States, with advocates hoping to increase access, develop educational initiatives, and to extend training opportunities. At present, Medicare only covers less than one percent of dental services, with patients older than 65 not even covered for basic dental services. New policy proposals designed to address this issue include Congressional interest in expanding dental health coverage and improving the number and quality of providers, and further training supported with a federal grant initiative, the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. There are also motions to support disease prevention and the promotion of health, supported by the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act 2016, which will offer oral health screenings. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will also help to develop the family caregiving resource that could help raise awareness of oral health issues, and the Action for Dental Health Act of 2015 will enable applications for oral health grants from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Though these initiatives will alleviate the oral health crisis, more needs to be done to fully address the problem of dental health in older adults.