Action for Dental Health Act of 2015

Summary: Action for Dental Health Act 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize oral health promotion and disease prevention programs through FY2020.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may award grants or enter into contracts to obtain portable or mobile dental equipment and pay operational costs for the provision of free dental services to underserved populations. The CDC may also award grants or enter into contracts to collaborate with state, county, or local public officials and other stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives to: (1) improve oral health education and dental disease prevention; (2) make the health care delivery system providing dental services more accessible and efficient through the development and expansion of outreach programs that facilitate the establishment of dental homes; (3) reduce geographic, language, cultural, and similar barriers in the provision of dental services; (4) reduce the use of emergency departments by those who seek dental services more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care setting; or (5) facilitate the provision of dental care to nursing home residents who are disproportionately affected by lack of care.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Action for Dental Health Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) More than 181 million Americans will not visit a 
        dentist even though nearly half of people over 30 suffer from 
        some form of gum disease and nearly one in four children under 
        the age of five already have cavities.
            (2) Many volunteer dental projects sponsored by national, 
        State, and local dental societies provide free care now to 
        those most in need. Annually, dentists deliver an estimated 
        $2.6 billion in free and discounted care according to the 
        America's Dentists Care Foundation.
            (3) It is estimated that emergency department (ED) charges 
        for dental complaints totaled up to $2.1 billion in 2010. 
        Nearly 80 percent of the dental emergency room visits were 
        nonurgent and could have been seen in a dental office. Shifting 
        those ED visits to a dental office translates into potential 
        cost savings of up to $1.7 billion a year and offers the 
        possibility of establishing a ``dental home'' for these 
        individuals.
            (4) Seniors, especially those in nursing homes and long-
        term care facilities, often have special dental needs and 
        complicated medical histories that require consultation between 
        dentists and fellow medical professionals in providing an 
        interdisciplinary approach to their overall health needs.

SEC. 3. VOLUNTEER DENTAL PROJECTS AND ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act is revised by 
amending section 317M (42 U.S.C. 247b-14) as follows:
            (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as (g) and 
        (h), respectively;
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d), the following:
    ``(e) Grants To Support Volunteer Dental Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        award grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities 
        to obtain portable or mobile dental equipment, and pay for 
        appropriate operational costs, for the provision of free dental 
        services to underserved populations that are delivered in a 
        manner consistent with State licensing laws.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 
        `eligible entity' includes a State or local dental association, 
        a State oral health program, a dental education, dental hygiene 
        education, or postdoctoral dental education program accredited 
        by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and a community-
        based organization that partners with an academic institution, 
        that--
                    ``(A) is exempt from tax under section 501(c) of 
                the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
                    ``(B) offers a free dental services program for 
                underserved populations.
    ``(f) Action for Dental Health Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        award grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities 
        to collaborate with State, county, or local public officials 
        and other stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives to 
        accomplish any of the following goals:
                    ``(A) To improve oral health education and dental 
                disease prevention, including community-wide prevention 
                programs, use of dental sealants and fluoride varnish, 
                and increasing oral health literacy.
                    ``(B) To make the health care delivery system 
                providing dental services more accessible and efficient 
                through the development and expansion of outreach 
                programs that will facilitate the establishment of 
                dental homes for children and adults, including the 
                aged, blind, and disabled populations.
                    ``(C) To reduce geographic, language, cultural, and 
                similar barriers in the provision of dental services.
                    ``(D) To help reduce the use of emergency 
                departments by those who seek dental services more 
                appropriately delivered in a dental primary care 
                setting.
                    ``(E) To facilitate the provision of dental care to 
                nursing home residents who are disproportionately 
                affected by lack of care.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 
        `eligible entity' includes a State or local dental association, 
        a State oral health program, or a dental education, dental 
        hygiene, or postdoctoral dental education program accredited by 
        the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and a community-based 
        organization that partners with an academic institution, that--
                    ``(A) is exempt from tax under section 501(c) of 
                the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
                    ``(B) partners with public and private stakeholders 
                to facilitate the provision of dental services for 
                underserved populations.''; and
            (3) in subsection (h), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
        striking ``fiscal years 2001 through 2005'' and inserting 
        ``fiscal years 2016 through 2020''.