In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked states to develop a plan to increase the proportion of children ages 1 – 20 enrolled in Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) who receive any preventive dental services, and the proportion of children ages 6 – 9 who receive a dental sealant on a permanent molar tooth by 10 percentage points over 5 years.
In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked states to develop a plan to increase the proportion of children ages 1 – 20 enrolled in Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) who receive any preventive dental services, and the proportion of children ages 6 – 9 who receive a dental sealant on a permanent molar tooth by 10 percentage points over 5 years. The Task Force on Children’s Preventive Oral Health Services was convened to help the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance (DMA), now called the Division of Health Benefits (NC Medicaid), develop its dental action plan to improve access to preventive oral health services for all children in response to the request from CMS. The task force, which included 35 members representing dental health professionals, state policymakers, public health and other health professionals, researchers, consumer representatives, and others, met monthly from December 2012 to May 2013 with the goal of examining the main barriers to the utilization of preventive oral health services for children enrolled in Medicaid and NC Health Choice and developing recommendations to address these barriers. The North Carolina Oral Health Action Plan for Children Enrolled in Medicaid and NC Health Choice, published in June 2013, includes 14 recommendations that could be pursued and promoted by both public and private stakeholders. This document describes the progress that has been made toward implementing the recommendations from the task force.