HUNTINGTON -- The Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP) recently applauded U.S. Senator Rockefeller, D-W.Va., for efforts in securing oral health measures in the Senate's health care reform bill.

The Senate's bill includes a commitment to strengthen oral health among the nation's vulnerable populations, and is a major step toward matching public resources to counter poor oral health among America's low-income children that was the subject of a warning from the U.S. Surgeon General more than a decade ago, according to a CDHP press release.

The Senate bill includes the following oral health care measures:

Expanded coverage. Insurance coverage for pediatric oral health services.

Prevention. Dental disease prevention initiatives including public education, school-based sealant programs in all 50 states, and research grants for dental caries management.

Tracking and monitoring. Resources for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other organizations that track of oral health and the use of dental services among pregnant women and other vulnerable populations.

Workforce development. Expanded training programs and education resources fo general, pediatric and public health dentists and those who train and educate future dental caregivers in rural areas and among underserved populations; and demonstration grants for alternative dental health providers.

Safety net improvements. Initiatives to provide more access to care including federally-funded school-based health centers and creation of a commission to study oral health care workforce capacity.

Infrastructure improvements. Public health infrastructure improvements in the states to bolster dental public health programs, including CDC authorization to establish oral health leadership and program guidance, oral health data collection and interpretation, a multidimensional delivery system for oral health, and science-based programs to improve oral health.

The House's health care reform bill passed earlier this month contains many of the same measures.

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