Virginia Medicaid Adult Patients To Begin Receiving Dental Benefits Today

DentaQuest and Virginia Health Catalyst praise the state benefit expansion, commit to increasing awareness among Medicaid members and providers

Low-income adults who receive Medicaid coverage can now obtain routine oral health care, thanks to a new law in Virginia that funds an oral health benefit for adults. Prior to today, the state Medicaid program only covered emergency oral health services--often tooth extractions. This expansion could impact 750,000 Virginians.

“This is a real game-changer for a population that is too frequently left behind by our health care policies,” said Steve Pollock, president and CEO of DentaQuest, the organization that administers the Medicaid dental benefit in Virginia and dozens of other states. “Oral health care is health care, and we’ve long known the critical connection between the mouth and one’s overall health. This state policy change is recognition of that importance.”

Virginia Health Catalyst is a nonprofit public health organization that was instrumental in ensuring this benefit becomes a reality. “This coverage will improve the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of Virginians,” said Sarah Bedard Holland, CEO of Virginia Health Catalyst. “Being able to access oral health care isn’t just going to improve physical health outcomes for many of our friends and neighbors. It will also assist with employability, improve mental health, and enable health systems to provide more equitable integrated care to Medicaid members.”

Research has shown that poor oral health has a direct link to higher risks of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, asthma and more. It also increases risk of suffering a stroke and leads to greater instances of depression and other mental health illnesses.

One recent study found a link between better preventive oral health and a reduced risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP is a leading cause of death among critically ill patients and has posed a serious problem for those afflicted with COVID-19 who require mechanical ventilation. According to the report, having at least one preventive dental visit within three years of being placed on a mechanical ventilator reduced a patient’s likelihood of a VAP diagnosis by 22%.

Adults on Medicaid will now be able to visit the dentist for routine care three times each year.

Further expanding dental coverage will reduce overall health care costs and ease the burden on emergency rooms by reducing the number of people relying on them for dental care. One estimate of the cost of avoidable emergency room visits nationwide is $1.7 billion annually.

“Policymakers in Virginia deserve praise for extending oral health care coverage to adults covered by Medicaid,” said Pollock and Bedard Holland. “We hope Virginia can be an example to the remaining states who have yet to extend coverage to adults.”