I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2422 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve essential oral health 
care for low-income and other underserved individuals by breaking down 
barriers to care, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2017 
Ms. KELLY of Illinois (for herself and Mr. SIMPSON) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve essential 
oral health care for low-income and other underserved 
individuals by breaking down barriers to care, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Action for Dental 
Health Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(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, den-
tists deliver an estimated $2.6 billion in free and dis-
counted 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 den-
tal needs and complicated medical histories that re-
quire consultation between dentists and fellow med-
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ical professionals in providing an interdisciplinary 
approach to their overall health needs. 
SEC. 3. VOLUNTEER DENTAL PROJECTS AND ACTION FOR 
DENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM. 
Section 317M of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247b–14) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 
subsections (g) and (h), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (d), the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(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 ap-
propriate 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 
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dental education program accredited by the Commis-
sion on Dental Accreditation, or a community-based 
organization that partners with an academic institu-
tion, 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 collabo-
rate with State, county, or local public officials and 
other stakeholders to develop and implement initia-
tives to accomplish any of the following goals: 
‘‘(A) To improve oral health education and 
dental disease prevention, including through 
community-wide prevention programs, through 
the use of dental sealants and fluoride varnish, 
and by increasing oral health literacy. 
‘‘(B) To make the health care delivery sys-
tem providing dental services more accessible 
and efficient through the development and ex-
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pansion of outreach programs that will facili-
tate the establishment of dental homes for chil-
dren and adults, including for the aged, blind, 
and disabled populations. 
‘‘(C) To reduce geographic barriers, lan-
guage barriers, cultural barriers, and other 
similar barriers to the provision of dental serv-
ices. 
‘‘(D) To help reduce the use of emergency 
departments by individuals who seek dental 
services more appropriately delivered in a den-
tal primary care setting. 
‘‘(E) To facilitate the provision of dental 
care to nursing home residents who are dis-
proportionately affected by the lack of dental 
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, or a community-based organi-
zation that partners with an academic institution, 
that— 
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‘‘(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 para-
graph (1), by inserting ‘‘and $18,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2018 through 2022’’ after ‘‘fiscal 
years 2001 through 2005’’. 
Æ 
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