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TO HEALTH, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
American Dental Association President Makes Case to Congress for
Indian Health Service Dental Programs
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Obama
Administration's proposal to fund the Indian Health Service's (IHS)
Division of Oral Health for fiscal year 2015 at approximately $175
million, while adequate to maintain current programs and staff new
facilities, won't address the increasing rates of oral disease in
tribal areas, American Dental Association (ADA) President Dr. Charles
H. Norman told members of a House panel.
"The proposed 2015 budget for the IHS dental program allows only $83
in dental care for each of the 2.1 million people served by the IHS,"
he said, testifying before the House Interior Subcommittee on
Appropriations. "That amount doesn't even cover one dental visit a
year." Dental care expenditures in the United States as a whole
amounted to $353 per capita, he added.
Dr. Norman told lawmakers that tooth decay in Indian Country had
reached epidemic proportions. According to data from the Navajo
nation, tooth decay is present in 48 percent of 1-year-olds and up to
94 percent of 4-year-olds. The decay rate of pre-school Navajo
children is the highest in the nation. The decay rate in 4-year-olds
nationally is approximately 35 percent.
While the ADA accepts that Congress is not likely to fund IHS's
Division of Oral Health to the level the agency truly needs to fulfill
its mission, Dr. Norman said, the ADA does urge lawmakers to
appropriate an additional $4 million for projects that can have real
and immediate impact, like improving dental record keeping and
implementing preventive measures.
Further, he stressed the importance of reducing the amount of
paperwork dentists must submit in order to volunteer in Indian
Country.
Dr. Norman outlined several initiatives of the Native American Oral
Health Care Project, a joint ADA-state dental society initiative to
improve dental health among Native Americans. The recently launched
project facilitates cooperative efforts between tribes and state
dental associations in Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota and South
Dakota to reduce the incidence of oral disease in underserved areas.
He also explained how Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHCs) can
dramatically improve dental health education, as well as access to
dental health care.
The CDHC focuses on dental health education and disease prevention,
and on connecting people with dentists, Dr. Norman said. "They work
in the communities to educate people about diet, dental hygiene and
how good oral health results in better overall health. Today, eight
American Indian CDHCs are serving at 15 sites."
"The ADA is committed to working with you, the IHS and the tribes to
aggressively reduce the disparity of oral disease and to increase the
level of dental care that currently exists in Indian Country," Dr.
Norman told the subcommittee. He added that oral disease is
preventable especially if individual and community-based prevention
programs are in place, along with an oral health literacy program
supporting all other efforts.
About the American Dental Association The not-for-profit ADA is the
nation's largest dental association, representing 157,000 dentist
members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has
advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of
dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities
develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the
practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive.
The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected
guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly TheJournal of the
American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication
and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more
information about the ADA, visit ada.org. For more information on oral
health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease,
visit the ADA's consumer websiteMouthHealthy.org.
SOURCE American Dental Association
-0- 04/08/2014
/CONTACT: Robert Raible, raibler@ada.org, 202.789.5166
/Web Site: http://www.ada.org
CO: American Dental Association
ST: District of Columbia
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