The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 58

recommended that public policy needs to raise awareness of the impact
of oral health and that improving health infrastructure is necessary to
meet the needs of all Americans (HHS, 2000). The report laid out “a
framework for action” that included changing the perception of the
public, policymakers, and health providers on oral health, removing
barriers between people and oral health services, and improving oral
health from disproportionately impacted groups (HHS, 2000).
Another important factor in dental and oral care outcomes is the
overall situation of health care provided through the ACA, also known
as Obamacare. The American Dental Association and other groups want
to continue to support “parts of the ACA that expanded dental coverage,
particularly for low-income children” (“ADA, Other Dental Groups,”
2017). Under the ACA, all insurance packages sold on the national
health care exchanges are required to include pediatric dental benefits;
however, the requirement could be lost if politicians follow through on
their plans to pass legislation that repeals and replaces the ACA (“ADA,
Other Dental Groups,” 2017). Dental procedures can be very expensive
and access to preventative care can be limited based on socioeconomic
factors. Government mandated and subsidized dental coverage gives
millions of Americans, especially children, access to affordable health
insurance so they can have more positive oral health outcomes.
Some people may argue that only people with poor dental hygiene
have bad dental health outcomes, so society shouldn’t devote resources