A Nation in Need of Dental Care

The Affordable Care Act will expand access to dental coverage, especially for children. This fact sheet explains why advocates who are helping implement the health care law in their states should include dental health in their work.

Oral health is important to overall health, but many Americans can’t get the dental care they need. This affects their health, productivity, and financial stability.

This fact sheet presents statistics advocates can use on the following topics:

• Access to routine dental care
• How lack of dental care affects people’s oral and overall health
• How poor oral health decreases productivity