As dentists, we know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Yet for hundreds of thousands of our fellow adult Arizonans enrolled in AHCCCS, they can only get dental treatment when they are facing acute pain or infection, and that may be too late to save their dentition. Adult AHCCCS does not cover routine dental visits designed to catch dental problems early.
Many of these patients show up at emergency rooms. Each year, 10,000 emergency department visits in Arizona are for nontraumatic dental issues, 60% of which are paid for by AHCCCS. Proper care should be delivered in dental offices where dental needs can be more effectively addressed.
Over the past several years, a majority of bipartisan legislators in both the House and the Senate have supported efforts to focus on at least the prevention part of dental care. This year, Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, sponsored and shepherded SB1037 through the Senate, which would allow adult AHCCCS members to use their $1,000 annual emergency dental coverage for other comprehensive dental care, including routine prevention services. While the bill was never heard in the House, Arizona’s legislators would be smart to include this wise investment in the state budget.
At the annual Arizona Dental Association’s Mission of Mercy, 70% of the patients fell under $35,000 in family income. This is the adult AHCCCS population. Many of these patients return each year to address their dental needs. In fact, for the past 12 years, this event has provided more than $20 million in free dental care to more than 20,000 patients.
Dental care for this population cannot be volunteer driven. This volunteer-run event takes months of planning, countless hours and numbers of volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable giving. Patients treated at the Mission of Mercy are just the tip of the iceberg. Periodic charity dental care events will not solve the problem the way meaningful dental coverage can.
We also know that dental issues are not concentrated in Phoenix, and that’s why the AzDA Cares Foundation is moving toward more volunteer and community-driven dental care initiatives all across Arizona. But volunteer efforts are not sustainable in the long run. We continue to encourage the state Legislature to make an investment in the health of our citizens. This will allow people to access routine dental care conveniently in their community when they need it. Routine dental care means people can better control their diabetes and heart disease. And it means providing dental checkups and prevention during pregnancy, to reduce preterm births and low birth weights.
Luckily, nearly all dental diseases are preventable with the right care and attention. This is a problem we can solve, and covering comprehensive dental care in AHCCCS is a smart move for our state.
Regina Cobb is a former state lawmaker and is director of the Arizona Dental Association.
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