Michigan is among 36 states earning a grade of C or below for its policies that ensure low-income kids get proper dental health care, according to a new Pew Center on the States report.
According to that report, Michigan earned a C for not hitting certain benchmarks in its ability to reduce the number of children with untreated tooth decay.
For example, in the school year 2005 to 2006, one in four third graders had untreated tooth decay. The Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 objectives had called for states to have fewer than 21 percent of kids with untreated decay.
Dental health is important, the report says, because dental health problems can lead to more serious complications later in life and have been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke, the report says.
One bright spot for the state:Â Michigan is one of six that have "gone the furthest" in raising reimbursement rates and minimized administrative hurdles. The result has been a larger number of physicians willing to accept Medicaid-enrolled patients.
The report suggests school-based sealant programs, community water fluoridation, Medicaid improvements and workforce models that expand the number of qualified dental providers within the states are needed.
Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com