- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
Oral Health Coalition Releases 2019 Annual Report
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) has released their annual report for 2019 detailing accomplishments for the year. They extend a heartfelt thank you to their 2019 stakeholders, sponsors, and financial partners!
Resource Guide for Fluoride Varnish & Silver Diamine Fluoride
The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center recently published the Fluoride Varnish and Silver Diamine Fluoride Resource Guide that was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The guide is to help professionals and consumers learn more about these products to promote oral health and prevent oral disease by providing professional education and training, materials on data and surveillance and public education.
Medicare Dental Benefit Will Improve Health and Reduce Health Care Costs
Medicare reform to improve oral health for all is at the heart of a blog written by Diane Oaks and the DentaQuest Partnership’s Executive Director of Grants Strategy Mike Monopoli, DMD, MPH, MS, which was named as second in The Five Most-Read GrantWatch Blog Posts Of 2019 by Health Affairs.
States to Watch Oral Health in 2020: New Hampshire and the Adult Dental Benefit
New Hampshire has passed House Bill 692/HB 4, adding a comprehensive adult dental benefit that will aid nearly 120,000 adult residents covered under both traditional and Medicaid expansion requirements. Open here to read the first in our blog series on States to Watch in 2020.
Healthy Mouths: Why They Matter for Adults and State Budgets
How does your state measure up in providing a comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefit? Read DentaQuest’s latest brief, Healthy Mouths: Why They Matter for Adults and State Budgets, which explores the ways in which the lack of a comprehensive dental benefit can drain state budgets, and how adding this benefit can improve population and fiscal health.
2020 Will Bring Major Changes to the Oral Health Landscape
There’s a lot on the oral health horizon in 2020. As we start a new year and a new decade, we can expect significant changes that will address the oral health industry’s biggest challenges and fundamentally change the way Americans access oral health care. From the first Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in 20 years to disruptive technology, here’s what we’re watching.
New Report Explores Preventing Dental Caries in Children
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force posted a final research plan on screening and interventions to prevent dental caries in children younger than 5 years. The draft research plan was posted for public comment in September. The Task Force reviewed all of the comments and took them into consideration. Read more here.
New Oral Health During Pregnancy Resource from OHRC
The Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) recently released “Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities.” This is the seventh in a series of updates to highlight national, state, and local activities focusing on oral health care for pregnant women. The update includes briefs, guides, handouts, reports, toolkits, and trainings for health professionals and consumers. Read more here.
Veteran Affairs Announces Dental Care Proposal
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it has submitted to Congress a waiver request and pilot program under Section 152 of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act) to improve access to dental care for veterans. Read more here.
2020’s States with the Best & Worst Dental Health – WalletHub Study
With February being National Children’s Dental Health Month and about 15 percent of children aged 2-17 having not seen a dentist in the past year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Best & Worst Dental Health as well as accompanying videos.
In order to determine which places have the healthiest teeth and gums in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 26 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year to dental treatment costs to share of adults with low life satisfaction due to oral condition.
|
States with the Best Dental Health |
States with the Worst Dental Health |
|
| 1. Wisconsin | 42. Florida | |
| 2. Illinois | 43. Kentucky | |
| 3. Minnesota | 44. Alaska | |
| 4. District of Columbia | 45. Texas | |
| 5. Connecticut | 46. Alabama | |
| 6. North Dakota | 47. Louisiana | |
| 7. Michigan | 48. Montana | |
| 8. Massachusetts | 49. West Virginia | |
| 9. Idaho | 50. Arkansas | |
| 10. Iowa | 51. Mississippi |
Best vs. Worst
- Rhode Island has the lowest share of the population who couldn’t afford more dental visits due to costs, 37.00 percent, which is two times lower than in Georgia, the state with the highest at 74.00 percent.
- Utah has the most dentists per 100,000 residents, 55, which is 3.1 times more than in Louisiana, the state with the fewest at 18.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of the population receiving fluoridated water, 100.00 percent, which 8.8 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at 11.30 percent.
- Minnesota, Hawaii and Illinois have the lowest share of adults with poor or fair oral condition, 22.00 percent, which is 1.8 times lower than in Montana, the state with the highest at 40.00 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-worst-dental-health/31498/