Oral Health’s Relationship to Disease and Options for Expanding 

Services for Older Adults and Adults who Have Disabilities

Jane Tilly, DrPH

Center for Policy and Evaluation

Administration for Community Living

October, 2016

The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not necessarily those of the 

Administration for Community Living or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

1 
Oral Health’s Relationship to Disease and Options for Expanding Services for 

Older Adults and Adults who Have Disabilities 

Executive Summary

The 2016 Older Americans Act Reauthorization adds oral health to the list of its disease 

prevention and health promotion services. This action highlights policymakers’ emphasis on 

oral health as a crucial component of the health and wellness of older adults. Likewise, 

younger adults with disabilities need access to oral health and both groups could benefit from 

receiving oral health services. 

Research literature documents that a person’s overall health is related to their oral health. This 

happens because a person’s mouth is the gateway to their gastrointestinal tract and the rest of 

their body. Poor oral health is largely preventable and linked to chronic diseases, such as heart 

disease, stroke, and diabetes. Older adults and adults with disabilities are at high risk of having 

poor oral health due to inadequate access to services. Certain disabilities make oral hygiene 

tasks hard to complete, and obtaining services even more difficult. 

Publicly-funded dental preventive and treatment services for adults are sparse because 

Medicare covers only a few medically-related dental procedures, and many state Medicaid 

programs, which serve people with low income, have little dental coverage for adults. Some 

funding for oral health is available under the Public Health Service Act through the Health 

Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Community Health Centers program. In 

addition, the Older Americans Act Title III now emphasizes oral health promotion programs. 

States have a number of options for expanding access to oral health, including: 

• expanding Medicaid dental benefits and providing incentives for beneficiaries to use 

them 

• encouraging Aging and Public Health Networks to coordinate in expanding oral health 

promotion

• integrating oral health into primary medical care

• enabling dentists to remotely supervise dental hygienists and dental therapists. 

2 
Oral Health’s Relationship to Disease and Options for Expanding Services for 

Older Adults and Adults who Have Disabilities 

Introduction

The 2016 Older Americans Act Reauthorization added oral health to the list of its “disease 

prevention and health promotion services,” which the Aging Network1 delivers. This action

highlights policymakers’ emphasis on oral health as a crucial component of the health and 

wellness of older adults. Likewise younger adults with disabilities need access to oral health. 

Both groups benefit from obtaining these services because the dental research literature

documents that a person’s overall health is closely linked to their oral health. For example, 

poor oral health, which is largely preventable, is a risk factor for chronic diseases, such as heart 

disease and stroke. 

Older adults and adults with disabilities are at high risk of having poor oral health due to 

inadequate access to services. Certain disabilities may make oral hygiene tasks hard to 

complete and make access to services even more difficult. Publicly-funded dental services for 

adults are sparse because Medicare covers very few medically-related dental procedures, and 

many state Medicaid programs have little dental coverage for adults. Some funding for oral 

health is available through the Public Health Services Act’s funding of Community Health 

Centers and the Older Americans Act Title III now emphasizes oral health promotion services. 

This policy brief explores: 1) the causes and consequences of poor oral health; 2) prevention of 

poor oral health; 3) risk of poor oral health among older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and 

adults with disabilities; 4) publicly-funded dental coverage; 5) state options for increasing 

funding for services; and 6) state options for improving access to oral health services through 

changes in primary health care and dental practice. 

1. Oral Health Problems and their Consequences

Poor oral health is a preventable condition resulting from, among other things, inadequate oral 

hygiene and untreated infections. Infections can occur in teeth and the periodontium, which is 

the structure that supports and surrounds the teeth. Without treatment, tooth decay can 

result in tooth loss, abscess, bone loss, pain, and systemic infection. Periodontal diseases are

infections that: 1) may cause changes in the body that alter the immune system and the body’s

tissues, and 2) are the primary cause of tooth loss in older adults. Poor oral health is associated 

with serious chronic diseases and inadequate nutrition, and can lead to increased hospital use. 

When people with minor oral infections do not receive treatment, their conditions can progress 

to cellulitis, systemic infection, and death in some cases (Allareddy and colleagues, 2014). “Dry 

mouth,” which can result from a number of medications that older adults and people with 

1 The Aging Network comprises the Administration on Aging, state units on aging, area agencies on aging and the 

associated aging services providers. 

3 

 
disabilities may use, can lead to increased risk of oral disease, including tooth decay and soft 

tissue problems (Berkey and Scannapieceo, 2013). 

1.a. Chronic Conditions

Poor oral health can contribute to changes in diet, weight, and physical function and increase 

risks for chronic diseases (Griffin and colleagues, 2012). Oral infections are associated with 

heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, cognitive impairment, and oral-digestive 

tract cancers (Eke and colleagues, 2016). The strongest associations are for cardiovascular and 

respiratory disease, as well as exacerbation of diabetes (Berkey and Scannapeiceo, 2013). For 

example:

• The number of missing teeth at baseline is associated with higher incidence over 13 

years of cardiovascular disease risk factors and events, heart attacks, diabetes, and 

death after controlling for demographic factors (Liljestrand and colleagues, 2015). 

• A meta-analysis of 22 articles showed that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease 

was 34% higher among people with periodontal disease than those without (Blaizot and 

colleagues, 2009). 

• Poor oral health is linked to pneumonia in older nursing home residents, which can lead 

to hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) use, and death. Pneumonia can result from 

bacteria in residents’ mouths moving into their respiratory tract through such events as

aspiration of saliva (Paju and Scannapieco, 2007). 

• People with diabetes who have periodontitis may experience accelerated pancreatic 

failure and vascular disease (Hummel and colleagues, 2015). 

1.b. Hospital Use

When people do not receive treatment for oral infections, they can become quite sick due to 

infection and the associated pain, and may even die. Use of hospital emergency departments 

and inpatient services may increase as a result (Oral Health America, 2016; Wall and Vujicic, 

2015). Lack of Medicaid coverage for adult dental services also contributed to higher hospital 

emergency department (ED) use in 3 states. 

• Allareddy and colleagues (2014) used the 2008-2010 Nationwide Emergency 

Department Sample to identify visits that involved patients with dental caries2 or other 

oral infections. They found that among those visiting the emergency department with 

dental conditions, 57% were due to caries, 4.3% of the visits resulted in admission to the 

hospital, and 101 of these hospital patients died, with 85% of them dying solely due to 

the consequences of their dental condition. About 71% of dental-care-related hospital 

ED visits occurred among people who lived in low-income areas. As patients’ age 

increased, so did their hospital charges. 

• Cohen and colleagues (2002) studied the effects of a natural experiment when 

Maryland’s Medicaid program dropped dental coverage for adults in 1993 by comparing

ED visits before and after that decision, while controlling for age, race, and gender. The 

2 i.e., cavities

4 

 
Medicaid ED claims rose by 12% after the state dropped coverage. A similar natural 

experiment occurred in Oregon, where researchers compared the dental and health

services use of Medicaid beneficiaries with and without dental coverage in 2003-2005. 

The results were higher ED and ambulatory care use and more spending for those 

without dental coverage (Wallace and colleagues, 2011). Likewise, California eliminated 

its Medicaid dental benefits in 2009 and researchers found that ED visits per 100,000 

people increased by 32.3% and ED costs due to dental emergencies increased by 68%

(Singhal and colleagues, 2015). 

These studies demonstrate the importance of access to dental prevention and treatment

services, which can help prevent more serious health conditions and hospital use. 

2. Prevention

Simple techniques, such as regular tooth brushing, use of dental aids (electric toothbrush, 

flossing/water flossing), treatment of decay and other infections, and dental cleaning and 

exams are important for good oral health and have potential to reduce health care use. People 

generally can avoid serious oral infections through good hygiene and preventive oral health 

care, when infections can be treated before they become serious. For example: 

• A systematic review of the literature from 1996-2007 identified randomized-controlled 

trials showing that oral care (tooth brushing and occasional application of antibiotics) 

reduces the progression or occurrence of respiratory diseases in high-risk older people 

in hospitals or nursing homes (Sjogren and colleagues, 2008). 

• Institutionalized older adults benefit from improved oral care with fewer pneumonia 

episodes and days with a fever (Berkey and Scannapieceo, 2013; Linden and colleagues, 

2013). 

• Jeffcoat and colleagues (2014) compared the health care expenditures of people who 

had periodontal disease and received treatment to those with the condition who did 

not. Both groups had dental insurance. Using insurance claims data, they found that 

people who received treatment had significant reductions in total allowed health care 

expenditures and number of hospitalizations compared to those who did not receive 

treatment. For people with diabetes, expenditures were 40% lower, for those with 

cardiovascular disease 41% lower, and those with cerebral vascular disease 11% lower. 

These results indicate that providing dental services has potential to reduce health care 

expenditures.

 

3. Oral Health by Age, Minority Status, and Disability 

Prevention and access to services are particularly important for older adults and for adults with 

disabilities because these groups have worse oral health than those who are younger or have 

no disabilities. In addition, people with lower incomes or minority status experience worse oral 

health than their peers. These groups are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of poor 

oral health, as described above, and need better access to preventive services and dental 

treatments. 

5 
3.a. Age and Racial or Ethnic Minorities

Older adults have very high rates of oral infections and tooth loss. Total rates of periodontal 

disease ranged from 24.4% in adults aged 30-34 to 70.1% in adults aged 65 and over. Moderate

or severe periodontitis rates were 38% for adults aged 30 and over, and 64% for those aged 65 

and over (Eke and colleagues, 2012). Twenty-one percent of adults aged 65 and over were 

edentulous (no natural teeth) in 2014 (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, 

2016). Edentulism rates increased with age; the prevalence for adults aged 85 and over was 

31.4%.

The situation is worse for older adults with low incomes or who are minorities (CDC, accessed 

2016). Forty-two percent of older people with family incomes below the poverty line were 

edentulous, compared with 22% of those above the poverty threshold (DHHS, 2012). In 2014, 

non-Hispanic black adults aged 65 and over were more likely to be edentulous (28.2%) 

compared to non-Hispanic white (19.6%) and Hispanic adults (23.2%) (Federal Interagency 

Forum on Aging Related Statistics, 2016). 

Older adults with specific types of health conditions are prone to poor oral health. These 

conditions include disability, cognitive impairment, visual problems, arthritis, and dry mouth

(Berkey and Scannapieceo, 2013). In addition, older nursing home residents have greater risk 

for tooth loss, periodontal disease, and poor oral hygiene than older community residents 

(Fisher-Owens and colleagues, 2008). 

Over time, advances in dental care and treatment have reduced the proportion of older adults 

who have no teeth (Griffin and colleagues, 2012; Eke and colleagues, 2016). More access to 

better oral health care may continue to improve the situation. 

Much progress could be made for older adults, particularly those in poor health. Only 43% of

clients receiving Older Americans Act home delivered meals reported having had a dental visit 

within the last year in 2015 (ACL, 2016). The Older American Act Nutrition Program targets

services to older adults who are in poor health and have functional impairments. For example, 

45 percent of congregate participants and 63 percent of home-delivered participants have six 

or more medical conditions (Kowlessar, 2015).

3.b. Disability

Younger adults with disabilities, similar to older adults with a disability, have high risk of poor 

oral health (CDC, accessed 2016). Analysis of the 2004 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey 

(BRFSS) showed that people with any disability were less likely than people without disabilities

to have a dental visit in the past year and more likely to have no teeth (Armour and colleagues, 

2008). A national study of people with physical disabilities showed that this group has a 57% 

higher risk of having an unmet need for dental services and this situation worsened between 

2002 and 2011 (Mahmoudi E and Meade M, 2015). Proportionally more people with

intellectual disabilities (ID) have untreated or poorly treated caries, gingivitis, and periodontal 

disease than their peers without ID. Risks increase with age for those with ID (Owens and 

colleagues, 2006). In a Massachusetts study, community dwelling adults aged 20 and over with 

6 
ID and access to dental health benefits had poorer oral health than the general population. 

Eighty percent had periodontal disease and 11% had no teeth. Their edentulism rates increased 

with age (Morgan and colleagues, 2012). 

Many barriers affect the ability of people with disabilities to receive oral health care, including: 

inability to transfer to a dental chair, difficulty filling out forms, needing sign language 

interpreters, not understanding or fearing dental exams, behavioral challenges, access to 

sedation and other accommodations, and unwillingness of some dental clinics to accept 

patients with disabilities (Horner-Johnson and Dobbertin, 2016). Also, some people with ID 

don’t have the manual dexterity or cognitive ability to carry out daily oral hygiene themselves 

and their caregivers often don’t have the training or tools to help them. This population also 

often takes medications that cause dry mouth or otherwise affect oral health (Anders and 

Davis, 2010). 

Barriers like these result in less use of prevention services. A national study found that adults 

aged 18-64 with physical, cognitive, vision, hearing, or complex activity limitations had 

significantly higher rates of having less than 1 dental checkup per year, experiencing delays in 

getting dental care or being unable to get it. All results remained significant after controlling 

for socio-economic variables and dental insurance status (Horner-Johnson and Dobbertin, 

2016). About 53% of people with disabilities aged 18-64 and aged 65 and over had dental visits 

in the last year compared with 64.9% and 71.7%, respectively, of their peers without 

disabilities. In 2013, 26.6% of people with any disability of any age did not get needed dental 

care due to cost, compared to 10.1% for those with no disabilities (DHHS Health United States, 

2014). Attention to the unique needs of people with disabilities of any age is critical to making 

progress in improving their oral health and avoiding the consequences of failing to do so, which 

include the human cost, and the cost of other clinical care related to the lack of dental services. 

4. Publicly-funded Dental Health Coverage for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities

Among the barriers causing disparities in oral health for older adults and adults with disabilities

are affordability and lack of dental coverage. Half of older adults with incomes below $35,000

say they do not visit the dentist routinely because they cannot afford it (Oral Health America, 

2016). Affordability is a critical issue for those who rely on Medicare or Medicaid because 

Medicare covers only certain medically-related dental services, and Medicaid for adults has

limited dental benefits in many states. Funding for Community Health Centers provides some 

relief to people with low incomes in medically underserved areas and the Older Americans Act 

program has a new impetus to engage in oral health promotion as a result of recent changes. 

4.a. Medicare

The Social Security Act, Section 1862 (12), states that Medicare will not pay for services “in 

connection with the care, treatment, filling, removal, or replacement of teeth or structures 

directly supporting teeth.” The Act provides for an exception under Medicare Part A “if the 

individual, because of his underlying medical condition and clinical status or because of the 

severity of the dental procedure, requires hospitalization...” (Social Security Act, accessed July 

2016). 

7 
In interpreting the Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) states that 

Medicare will pay for dental services that are an integral part either of a covered procedure 

(e.g., reconstruction of the jaw following accidental injury), or for extractions done in 

preparation for radiation treatment for neoplastic diseases involving the jaw. Medicare will also 

pay for oral examinations, but not treatment, preceding kidney transplantation or heart valve 

replacement, under certain circumstances (CMS, accessed July 2016)

The Center for Medicare Advocacy argues that the controlling Medicare statute excludes only 

coverage of routine dental services, as described in its legislative history (National Medicare 

Advocates Alliance, 2009). According to the Center for Medicare Advocacy, the fact that the 

dental exclusion in the Medicare statute is one in a list of exclusions of routine services is 

evidence that this exclusion was not meant to apply to those services that are reasonable and 

necessary for medical treatment (National Medicare Advocates Alliance, 2009). In 2016, The 

Center for Medicare Advocacy further stated that it “firmly believes that CMS has the legal 

authority under the Medicare statute to cover medically necessary oral health care – that is, 

treatment deemed necessary by a physician when a patient’s medical condition is or will likely 

be complicated by an untreated oral health problem.” The Center for Medicare Advocacy

makes several additional arguments to support this contention including those related to 

language in the Senate Report explaining the legislative intent, Medicare’s inclusion of dentists 

in its definition of physicians, and the governing statute, which permits payment for dental 

services in relationship to physician services (Center for Medicare Advocacy, 2016). 

The above discussion centers on dental services under “traditional Medicare,” which operates 

under a fee-for-services system. Enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans, which generally 

receive per capita payment, may have access to dental services, if their plans offer them. 

4.b.Medicaid

State Medicaid programs are required to cover dental services for children under age 21, but 

they generally are not required to do so for adults. The exception is when a dentist’s “medical 

and surgical services ... would be considered physician services if a physician provided them” 

(CMS, 1991). At least two interpretations of this regulation exist. Chazin and colleagues (2014) 

at the Center for Health Care Strategies state that, “Federal regulations require states that are 

not providing any dental benefits for adults to at least reimburse medical and surgical services 

related to an oral health problem if delivered by a medical or dental provider.” Its citation goes 

back to the CMS rule published in 1991. California’s Medi-Cal program eliminated “most adult 

dental services” in 2009, with the exception of what the state termed “federally required adult 

dental services.” The state then listed more than 150 medical procedure codes, which it 

describes as federally-required services (Denti-Cal Bulletin, 2009). 

Regardless of the regulatory interpretation, Medicaid adult dental benefits under the State

optional service vary widely across states and many states limit coverage primarily to 

emergency services. For example, as of February 2015:

8 
• 19 states provided emergency-only adult dental benefits for non-pregnant, non-disabled 

adults;

• 27 states covered preventive services;

• 26 states covered restorative services;

• 19 states covered periodontal services;

• 25 states covered dentures;

• 25 states covered oral surgery;

• 2 states covered orthodontia; and

• 9 states placed an annual dollar limit on covered dental services (MACPAC, 2015). 

Note that the optional dental benefit is not the only choice states have. They can provide 

dental benefits to limited populations through various Medicaid waivers, including home and 

community-based services (HCBS) waivers. In 2015, 13 states and DC included some oral health 

benefits in at least one of their HCBS waivers; primarily to people with intellectual or 

developmental disabilities (NASUAD, 2016).

Barriers to oral health care access, even in states with Medicaid dental benefits, include: 

beneficiaries not knowing they have such benefits, shortages of providers willing to serve 

Medicaid beneficiaries, relatively low reimbursement rates, and few incentives to integrate oral 

health into mainstream health care (Chazin and Crawford, 2016). 

Attention to limited Medicare dental services, uneven Medicaid dental coverage, and multiple 

service barriers could help older adults and adults with disabilities avoid oral infections and the 

consequences to their general health. 

4.c. Community Health Centers

HRSA manages the Community Health Center program, which provides important dental 

services to populations with little access to care using Public Health Services Act funding. These 

Health Centers are community-based providers that offer primary care services in underserved 

areas. Health Centers must meet a stringent set of requirements, including providing care to 

people of all ages on a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay. Health Centers include:

Federally Qualified Health Centers and their “look-alikes3,” Community Health Centers, Migrant 

Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, and Health Centers for Residents of Public 

Housing. According to HRSA, about 1 in 14 people use a Health Center for medical care. Nearly 

1,400 health centers operate 9,800 service delivery sites in every U.S. state, the District of 

Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin (DHHS, HRSA, (a) accessed 

on August 11, 2016). 

Dental services are among those that Health Centers must arrange for or provide themselves. 

The definition of primary health services includes, “preventive dental services provided by a 

licensed dentist or other qualified personnel, including (i) oral hygiene instruction; (ii) oral 

3 “Look-alikes” are community health centers that meet all requirements for federally qualified health centers, but 

do not receive HRSA funds. Seventy of the 1400 Community Health Centers are “look-alikes.”

9 

 
prophylaxis, as necessary; and (iii) topical application of fluorides, and the prescription of 

fluorides for systemic use when not available in the community water supply.” Supplemental 

services include “dental services other than those provided as primary health services.”(42 CFR 

Chapter I, Subchapter D, Part 51, subpart A, section 102, (h)(6). 

In 2014, Community Health Centers served about 4.7 million dental patients and provided 

nearly 12 million oral health visits (DHHS/HRSA (b) June 16, 2016). In 2016, 420 health centers 

in 47 states, DC, and Puerto Rico received $156 million to expand these services and increase 

access to integrated oral health care services and improve outcomes for their patients. 

4.d. Older Americans Act, Title III-D 

The 2016 Older Americans Act Reauthorization adds “oral health” to the Title I definition of 

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion services. The addition of “oral health” to the OAA’s 

definition highlights that oral health is a crucial component of the health and wellness of older 

adults. However, as with all disease prevention and health promotion activities funded under 

Title III-D, funds are limited and oral health activities must be part of an evidence-based 

program. 

5. State Options for Increasing Funding for Oral Health Services for Older Adults and Younger 

Adults with Disabilities

Section 4 above describes several sources of funding for oral health promotion, disease 

prevention, and treatment. The biggest opportunity for states is to expand their Medicaid 

dental coverage so that all adults, including those who are older or have disabilities, can access 

preventive services and treatment to prevent caries or infections from becoming serious. States 

receive federal matching funds when they provide Medicaid’s optional dental services for 

adults4 or dental services under a Medicaid waiver. In addition, states can ensure that 

Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities of any age have the medical equipment they may need

to effectively clean their teeth and gums. 

States that expand their dental coverage or already have coverage could educate Medicaid 

beneficiaries about their benefits and provide incentives for them to seek preventive services 

and treatment. In addition, states could provide incentives to dentists to accept more Medicaid 

patients and to Medicaid managed care organizations to integrate oral health into their health 

care networks and systems (Chazin and Crawford, 2016). 

States can encourage connections between older adults and adults with disabilities and 

Community Health Centers in underserved areas. This is an important link because, as stated 

above, these Centers must provide preventive dental services to adults, regardless of ability to 

pay or presence of disability, on a sliding fee scale basis (Yalowich and Corso, 2015). Health 

Centers also can receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for providing services to these 

populations. 

4 Note that Medicaid dental services are mandatory for children under the Affordable Care Act. 

10

 
States can encourage their Aging and Public health networks to coordinate and expand delivery 

of preventive, education, and oral health to older adults and adults with disabilities (Griffin and 

colleagues, 2012). Although funding amounts for such efforts are limited, the Networks have 

tremendous reach in their states and communities. 

6. State Options for Improving Access to Oral Health Services for Adults with Disabilities and 

Older Adults

Funding is not the only option states have. Federal agencies and national workgroups have 

long recognized the relationship between oral health and good overall health and have 

published blue prints for improving it. HRSA asked the Institute of Medicine and the National 

Research Council to convene experts to address access to oral health care in the United States. 

In 2011, these groups issued reports with recommendations about oral health.5 Among the 

recommendations’ basic approaches are to integrate oral health into primary health care 

practice, expand the scope of practice among professionals involved in oral health care, and 

promote related coverage. HRSA recommends the following in response to the IOM reports: 

increased integration of oral health into primary care health practices, enhanced adoption of 

clinical oral health competencies, and modified payment to encourage these changes (DHHS, 

2014). 

Building on the IOM’s reports, a broad group of dental and primary health care providers 

propose to integrate oral health care into primary health care settings (Hummel and colleagues, 

2015). This group recommends that providers: ask their patients about oral health risk factors, 

look for signs of oral health risk or active disease, decide on an appropriate response, offer 

preventive services or referrals, and document the interaction with patients. 

Researchers’ recommendations to improve dental care for older adults are to incorporate these 

services into general health care, engage in community education programs, and provide a 

safety net for prevention services (Van der Putten and colleagues, 2014). 

States can promote integration of oral health care into primary care settings and increase 

access to use these recommendations in innovative ways, including: 

• Encouraging primary care health practices to screen older adults and adults with 

disabilities for oral health problems and refer them to dentists and other dental 

practitioners they can access when necessary.

• Encouraging hospitals to develop formal referral relationships with safety net dental 

providers (Allareddy and colleagues, 2014). Referral networks can help older adults and 

adults with disabilities get the preventive and treatment services that they need and 

hospital emergency departments generally do not provide. For example, the University 

of Maryland’s School of Dentistry has an arrangement with a local hospital, where the

hospital refers people to the School when they have acute problems, such as the need 

for a wisdom tooth extraction (Cohn, 2016) 

5 Advancing Oral Health in America, April 2011 and Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and 

Underserved Populations, July 2011. 

11

 
• Extending oral health through the use of “dental therapists,” whose scope of practice 

varies but generally includes preventive and “simple” restorative services like filling 

cavities and extraction of primary teeth. Indian Country in Alaska and the state of 

Minnesota have such arrangements (Yalowich and Corso, 2015). Again, this type of 

practitioner can serve people otherwise lacking access to oral health. 

• Using a “virtual dental home” that ensures dental hygienists have dentists who can 

remotely supervise their work. California has demonstrated this concept (Yalowich and 

Corso, 2015). This approach could extend oral health for hard to reach populations. 

Implementing some of these concepts might require changes in state laws. 

Conclusion

Older adults and adults with disabilities have a unique and challenging set of barriers to 

receiving needed dental preventive and treatment services. Barriers include affordability and 

accessibility of services. These groups or their caregivers also may not be aware of the 

importance of hygiene and using oral health services to help preserve their health, and may not 

be aware of the consequences of poor care until they occur. 

Consequences of inadequate access to services include increased risk related to certain chronic 

diseases, avoidable hospital use, and, sometimes, death. Among the options states have for 

addressing these problems are integrating oral health into primary care; expanding use of 

dentist extenders, like hygienists; expanding Medicaid dental coverage, and ensuring that older 

adults and adults with disabilities have access to services through their Medicaid managed care 

plans and Community Health Centers. Education of older adults, people with disabilities and 

their caregivers through the Aging and Public Health Networks is critical too. 

Another step could be evaluating whether Medicare and Medicaid dental health benefits could 

or should be extended to a more broad set of medically-related dental services. For example, 

there is adequate evidence that diabetes and cardiovascular disease are intertwined with poor 

oral health, with each condition making the other worse. Would it be permissible under federal 

law for Medicare and Medicaid to provide dental treatments to adults that improve medical 

conditions? This would be a more expansive interpretation of federal law than that in use 

today. 

12
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