American Dental Association
1. Topic: ADA Recognition of Oral Health Crisis
Quotes: Millions of Americans do not visit the dentist due to barriers such as cost and absence of insurance
• People without coverage often delay care until dental pain is severe or visit emergency departments for relief.
— which does not provide definitive dental treatment but has an emphasis on extractions.
Source: ADA Action for Dental Health policy 2025
https://www.ada.org/about/press-releases/oral-health-legislation-on-capitol-hill
2. Topic: ADA Supports Expanded Dental Coverage for Medicaid Adults
Quotes: “Millions of adults who rely on Medicaid are the least likely to access dental care and face the
biggest cost barriers to dental care. They are also more likely to experience dental pain, report poor mouth health, and
find their lives to be less satisfying due to their poor oral health.”
The ADA argues comprehensive dental coverage would reduce emergency department visits — a consequence
of untreated dental disease in low-income adults.
• ADA advocacy emphasizes that federal and state action is needed to ensure access for this vulnerable
population.
Source: ADA’s Medicaid Dental Benefit Act, 2025
https://www.ada.org/advocacy/grassroots-action-center/medicaid-dental-benefit-act
3. Topic: ADA Oral Health as Basic Health Need
Quotes: “Oral health is an essential component of overall health” and everyone should enjoy a basic level of
oral health that allows them to eat, work, learn, and live without oral pain or dysfunction.
• People who are low-income, rural, or medically fragile often face significant barriers in accessing care.
• This policy underscores the ADA’s view that lack of access to basic dental care among indigent populations is unjust and should be addressed through health equity efforts.
Source: ADA’s Health Equity Toolkit and Action Plan (2022-2025)
https://www.ada.org/about/press-releases/2020-archives/statement-on-dentistry-as-essential-health-care
American Medical Association
5. Topic: AMA Policy on Access to Dental Care as Part of Overall Health
Quote: The AMA recognizes that oral health and access to dental care are critical components of overall
patient care.
• In its policy D-160.925, the AMA supports the importance of managing oral health and improving access
to dental care as part of optimal health services, especially for underserved populations (including those
without insurance or with limited coverage). This policy also calls for collaboration with other national
organizations to improve dental access.
Source: American Medical Association. Policy D-160.925: Importance of managing oral health and access to
dental care as part of overall patient care. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/a24-109.pdf
6. Topic: AMA Supports Expanded Coverage & Research to Improve Dental Access
Quote: The AMA has expressed support for:
• Improving access to dental care for populations that lack coverage (e.g., many older adults, persons
enrolled in Medicare) and integrating dental services into broader health plans.
• Expanding health services research on the effectiveness of expanded dental coverage to improve health
outcomes and reduce disease.
• Collaborating with dental professional organizations to reduce barriers that contribute to unmet dental
needs.
Source: AMA’s policy (D-160.925) https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/a24-109.pdf
7. Topic: AMA Recognizes Dental Access Inequity & Medical-Dental Divide — have highlighted that:
Quote: Many Americans, especially those of low socioeconomic status, face significant barriers accessing dental care due to cost, lack of insurance, and separation of dental from medical systems.
• Cost is often reported as a greater barrier to dental care than to medical care.
• Some individuals resort to emergency departments for dental pain relief because they lack access to routine dental services.
Source: AMA publications — particularly the AMA Journal of Ethics
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/inequity-along-medicaldental-divide
8. Topic: AMA Ethical Perspective: Oral Health Inequity Is a Health Equity Issue
Quote: AMA ethical discussions emphasize that: Oral health disparities — often rooted in socioeconomic
factors — are an integral part of health inequity.
• The separation of dental care from general health care financing and delivery contributes significantly to
unmet dental needs in low-income and uninsured groups.
• Unmet dental needs reduce quality of life, contribute to pain, and can worsen systemic health outcomes.
• These viewpoints underscore that access to dental care for indigent populations is not just a logistical
issue but a health equity and ethical concern.
Source: AMA Journal of Ethics Inequity Along the Medical/Dental Divide (on structural barriers and inequity).
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/inequity-along-medicaldental-divide
Centers for Disease Control
9. Topic: Unmet Oral Health Care Needs of Adults 20-64
Quote: Among adults who reported an unmet dental care need: 80% report they could not afford care.
Source: CDC Oral Health Media, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/media/pdfs/Unmet-oral-health-careneeds-
of-adults-aged-20-64-years.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Congressional Hearings
10. Topic: Oral health disparities among U.S. older adults (aged 65 or older):
Quote: Complete tooth loss was more than three times as common among older adults who had less than a
high school education (33%) compared with those who had more than a high school education (9%)
Source: Dept of Health and Human Services; 2024. Accessed October 17, 2024 https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/
php/2024-oral-health-surveillance-report/index.html
11. Topic: Examining the Dental Health Care Crisis in America as a Human Rights Issue
Quote: It is unacceptable to me that only a third of our Nation’s dentists provide care to people who are on Medicaid. Source: US Congressional Hearing 2024, p 6 – Lisa Simon, MD Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118shrg55876/pdf/CHRG-118shrg55876.pdf
12. Topic: Examining the Dental Health Care Crisis in America as a Human Rights Issue
Quote: 70 percent of older Americans have some sort of periodontal disease, which can lead to rheumatoid
arthritis and cardiovascular disease.
Source: US Congressional Hearing 2024, p 4 – William Cassidy, Louisiana/
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118shrg55876/pdf/CHRG-118shrg55876.pdf
Private Research on Dental Care Delivery
13. Topic: Oral Health Disparities – Nationally and Locally
Quote: Lost productivity time due to untreated dental disease costs the US an estimated $45 billion each year.
Source: Harvard Medical School Review: Perspectives of Change/
https://perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu/node/168
14. Topic: Dental Clinic Deserts in the US: Spatial Accessibility Analysis
Quote: 24.7 (7.5%) million people in the US live in areas with a shortage of dental services and 38.6
million (12.3%) had significant disparities in access to dental clinics.
Source: Johnson KM, Lichter D. Growing racial diversity in rural America: results from the 2022 census
• https://scholars.unh.edu/carsey/449/
• Kenneth M. Johnson and Daniel T. Lichter are prominent American demographers and academic researchers
specializing in rural population changes, demographic trends, and racial diversity in the United States. They
are known for collaborating on research regarding the shifting demographics of rural America using U.S.
Census data.
• https://scholars.unh.edu/carsey/449/
Quote: 24.7 (7.5%) million people in the US lived in areas with a shortage of dental services and 387
(12.3%) Counties had significant disparities in access to dental clinics.
15. Topic: Addressing the Role of Oral Health in Maternal Mortality and Pregnancy Outcomes
Quote: Poor oral health during pregnancy has been linked to adverse birth outcomes, including
preeclampsia, preterm birth, and low-birth-weight infants.
Source: Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute, April 2023. URL corrected
https://carequest.org/addressing-the-role-of-oral-health-in-maternal-mortality-and-pregnancy-outcomes/
16. Topic: State of Oral Health Equity in America
Quote: To treat the whole person, our health system must better recognize the link between oral health and
systemic health.
Source: CareQuest Institute. https://carequest.org/state-oral-health-equity-america-page/
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health is a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to creating
a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system in the United States. (An ADA CERP
recognized provider.). It operates through private funding and grants.
17. Topic: Adult Dental and Medical Care Coverage
Quote: Approximately 72 million adults in the US (27%) do not have dental insurance — almost three times
the percentage of adults who lack health insurance
Source: CareQuest Institute 2025 State of Oral Health Equity in America survey.
https://carequest.org/state-oral-health-equity-america-page/
18. Topic: Addressing the Oral Health Needs of Hispanics in the US
Quote: Approximately 15% of Hispanic adults aged 65 and over were edentulous (had no teeth).
Source: CareQuest Institute 2025 ‘Ongoing Oral Health Disparities’. https://carequest.org/addressing-theoral-
health-needs-of-hispanics-in-the-u-s/
19. Topic: Links Between Oral Health and Overall Health for Older Adults
Quote: Nearly one out of five seniors in America have lost all of their natural teeth.
Source: Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute, April 2023. https://carequest.org/beyond-a-nice-smile/
20. Topic: Dentist Shortages in America and How to Adapt
Quote: Millions of people across the U.S. are without access to proper dental care due to a troubling dentist
shortage.
Source: WEAVE Resource Center 2025. https://www.getweave.com/dentist-shortage/
