IOM Releaes Report on Access to Oral Health Care

On July 13, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations, which discusses the barriers to accessing oral health services for populations such as Medicaid beneficiaries, children, low income families, and ethnic minorities.  In addition to examining hte underlying problems that prevent millions of Americans from getting the dental care they need, the report makes a number of recommendations, outlining key actions that Congress, federal agencies, states, educational institutions, and the private sector can take to overcome the barriers identified.

Recommendations include:

• increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates
• improving education and training for dental and nondental helathcare professionals
• making dental education more affordable and placing increased focus on community-based settings
• developing interprofessional education programs
• exploring new options to expand the dental workforce
• amending state practice acts to ensure that healthcare providers can practice at the highest level of competency
• moving forward with public education campaigns to improve oral health literacy

This comprehensive document provides a guide to numerous innovative policies and solutions that can improve the oral health of children and families who need it most.

Report Release - Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations from The National Academies on Vimeo.

Download the full report below.