News

CDHP In The News--Putting Teeth in Health-Care Reform

Publication: 
The Washington Post
Publication Date: 
June, 2009
Author's Name: 
Mary Otto
Link to Article: 
Putting Teeth in Health-Care Reform

The 2007 death of a Prince George's County boy because of an untreated dental abscess was a tragic reminder of the connection between oral health and overall health.

Yet dental care remains the most common unmet health-care need of children in the United States. Tooth decay is five times as likely to be found in children as is asthma, which, like most common illnesses, is covered by health insurance. But at least 26 million children lack dental coverage, more than twice as many as lack medical insurance, according to federal health statistics.

CDHP's Dr. Burton Edelstein on NPR- Gum: A Stick A Day May Keep The Dentist Away

Publication: 
NPR
Publication Date: 
July, 2009
Author's Name: 
Allison Aubrey
Link to Article: 
Gum: A Stick A Day May Keep The Dentist Away

JULY 21, 2009--You've seen the claims on sugarless gum wrappers. Packages of Orbit say the chewing gum helps strengthen the teeth. And a package of Trident gum containing xylitol says it helps prevent cavities. So are these claims solid? …Oral health experts say the popularity of sugar-free gums has been one step in the improvement of children's oral health.

Dental Coverage Cuts Leave California's Poor In Pain

Publication: 
National Public Radio
Publication Date: 
February, 2010
Author's Name: 
Sarah Varney
Link to Article: 
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123855834

CDHP's own Burton Edelstein is interviewed in an article concerning the impact of California's recent cuts to adult dental benefits.

For adults, new law has no teeth

Publication: 
Connecticut Mirror
Publication Date: 
August, 2010
Author's Name: 
Arielle Levin Becker
Link to Article: 
http://www.ctmirror.org/story/7143/teeth-missing-health-reform

Arielle Levin Becker of the Connecticut Mirror details how adult dental coverage was left out of health reform:

Teaser:
Congress was days away from passing health reform this spring when the line began forming in Middletown. Hundreds of people waited hours, some overnight, for a chance at a free visit with a dentist. And by the time it was done, the Connecticut Mission of Mercy free dental clinic attracted more than 2,000 people over two days, a small fraction of the estimated 1 million Connecticut residents without dental insurance.

Deamonte Driver's Death From Toothache Grants More Kids Dental Care Access

Publication: 
Huffington Post
Publication Date: 
March, 2011
Author's Name: 
Marian Wright Edelman Marian Wright Edelman - Children's Defense Fund
Link to Article: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/deamonte-drivers-dental-care...

Four years ago this February, an entire community was devastated in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., when 12-year-old seventh grader Deamonte Driver died after complications from a tooth abscess. His mother Alyce, who worked at low-paying jobs, had searched for a dentist to treat Deamonte’s toothache who would accept Medicaid, but she was unsuccessful. Ultimately, Alyce took Deamonte to a hospital emergency room, where he was given medicine for a headache, sinusitis, and a dental abscess and sent home.

The Einstein Series: A Conversation With Burton L. Edelstein, DDS, MPH

Publication: 
Inside Dentistry
Publication Date: 
April, 2011
Link to Article: 
http://www.dentalaegis.com/id/2011/04/a-conversation-with-burton-edelstein-dds-m...

The founder of the Children's Dental Health Project talks candidly about the what progress has been made in improving access to care for underserved children.

INSIDE DENTISTRY (ID): Dr. Edelstein, your contributions are extensive, but none as large as the Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP), which you founded in 1997. What led you to develop that public policy group?