The need for a dental home

By Dr. Steven Bradley

‘I am so happy I can give a big smile again without worry of embarrassment.”

“Many of us used to have coverage for this, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we no longer do.”

These two comments heard during the second Iowa Mission of Mercy free dental clinic in Newton this past fall represent the opportunities and challenges before us in Iowa. A healthy smile is fundamental to a person's overall health, but ensuring that Iowans receive the quality oral health care they deserve is a challenge that requires a commitment from both the state's dental profession and the State of Iowa.

Iowa's dental professionals have shown we recognize this challenge. Through the award-winning Iowa Mission of Mercy, we have provided $1.4 million in free dental care to nearly 3,000 patients in the past two years and look forward to doing it again in 2010.

During Give Kids Smile events in February 2009, 3,450 Iowa children received free care. Since its creation in 2005, Iowa dentists have donated $875,376 of their services free of charge to Iowans who are elderly or living with disabilities through the Donated Dental Services program.

We are also proud that approximately 98 percent of Iowans in towns and unincorporated areas without a dentist are within 15 miles or less of a general practice dentist.

Yet we are continually challenged to meet the need in Iowa.

Given the hard economic times Iowa families are bearing, our top priority must be to make sure Iowa's children are receiving quality oral health care, which is why we are excited about the state's commitment to Dental Home.

Dental Home, known to many as I-Smile, is a law passed by state legislators in 2005 that represents a public/private commitment so that Medicaid-eligible children age 12 and younger will have a designated Dental Home where they will receive comprehensive oral health care from a dentist.

Dental Home is scheduled to be fully implemented at the start of 2011, but the Iowa Dental Association is working on developing a demonstration project in Scott County to test drive the funding and administrative resources needed to make it work. Sen. Tom Harkin and Congressman Bruce Braley have recognized how vital this pilot project is by committing $250,000 in federal funding, but distribution of this funding is dependent on a match of $125,000.

Once implemented, we expect Dental Home will ensure upward of 200,000 children will receive quality oral health care from their dentist.

Our ultimate goal is an oral health care system in Iowa that does not require efforts like Iowa Mission of Mercy. We are committed to continuing to work with policymakers to meet that goal.

In the meantime, dental professionals in Iowa will do all we can to serve Iowans who need our care the most.

Dr. Steven Bradley, of Cascade, is president of the Iowa Dental Association.