( CNN ) -- Millions of poor American children have untreated tooth decay , some of them because they can not find a dentist willing to treat them , a federal report issued Tuesday said . Only 1 in 3 children in Medicaid received any dental care over a year time span , according to a new report . `` Dental disease remains a significant problem for children aged 2 through 18 in Medicaid , '' the U.S. Government Accountability Office report concluded , referring to the federal/state health program for poor people . According to the report , which used data from 1999 to 2004 , about 6.5 million children enrolled in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay in 2005 and were nearly twice as likely as children with private health insurance to have untreated tooth decay . The GAO report was ordered after widespread publicity of the case of Deamonte Driver , a 12-year-old boy boy who died last year in suburban Washington when an untreated infected tooth led to a brain infection . Driver `` had extensive dental disease and his family was unable to find a dentist to treat him , '' the report said . The report said 14.8 percent of Medicaid recipients said their children had not gotten necessary dental care because their dentist refused to accept Medicaid , which typically pays providers less than private insurers . `` Clearly , the oral health care system failed this young man , '' said Dr. Jane S. Grover , first vice president of the American Dental Association in testimony Tuesday to the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy . `` All of us -- practitioners , payers , parents and policymakers -- need to come together and make the system work for the most vulnerable among us , '' she said . The report found that , nationwide , only one in three children in Medicaid had received any dental care in the year before the survey was carried out , and one in eight reportedly had never seen a dentist . In comparison , more than half of children with private health insurance had gotten dental care during the prior year . `` Fundamental changes to the Medicaid program are long overdue to prevent the possibility of future tragedies like Deamonte and to ensure that all low-income children have the same access to oral health care services enjoyed by the majority of Americans , '' Grover said . Efforts are under way to fix the problem . She cited plans to open eight dental schools in addition to the 57 currently in existence and said a new job -- community dental health coordinator -- has been created . The coordinators will be trained to work in clinics and schools to ensure emergency care is provided to children , she said . `` If there had been a CDHC in the school that Deamonte Driver attended , we believe this tragedy could have been prevented , '' she said . `` Through a routine exam , a CDHC could have spotted a simple cavity , filled the cavity with a temporary filling , and made arrangements for care by a dentist , '' she said . The CDHC will also help families enroll in Medicaid and get transportation to appointments , she said . But even if the numbers of dentists increase , Congress must act to increase fees for those participating in Medicaid to match private rates , she said .
eight children enrolled in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay in Last year . 2005 12-year-old Medicaid died from complications of infected tooth . Dentists often refuse to accept Medicaid , which often pays less than private insurers . Many Medicaid recipients say it 's difficult to get dental care using Deamonte Driver .