California Dental Association Legislative Update Policy Initiatives

1. California Dental AssociationLegislative UpdatePolicy Initiatives October 2006

2. Oral Health Assessments for Schoolchildren (AB 1433) • Provides education on the importance of oral health • Connects children with dental professionals that can provide care • Assists in enrollment into existing government benefit programs • Maximizes existing systems of care and reimbursement - including federal dollars before creating new systems • Collects specific data for further advocacy and policy development

3. Policy specifics • Parents are notified upon initial entry into public school, at kindergarten or first grade, that a their child should have his/her oral health assessed by a dental professional by May 31st of that school year. • Assessments completed in the prior 12 months satisfy this requirement.

4. Policy specifics • Notification includes: • Specifics of assessment requirement • Education on the importance of • primary teeth • oral health to overall health and readiness to learn • Contact information for government benefit programs and county health department • Standardized screening protocol (ASTDD) • Waiver form

5. Policy specifics • By May 31, parents return either • Completed assessment, or • Waiver request identifying barriers • Requirement poses an undue financial burden • Inability to find dental professional to do assessment • Parent does not want child’s oral health assessed

6. Policy specifics • Data reported • Number of children eligible for assessment • Number assessed • Number with untreated decay • Number not assessed • Due to lack of insurance • Unable to find provider

7. Data Distribution • Schools will report aggregate data to the County Department of Education • CDA will facilitate distribution to other interested agencies, including County/local Health Departments and the State Office of Oral Health

8. First Step • Policy is intended as a first step in raising awareness, elevating importance of oral health and promoting change • Further policy and program development needed to meet the needs of California’s children

9. Opportunity for change • CDDP programs are in many of the schools where access to oral health care is a challenge • Partnerships with CDDP programs will be opportunities to expand the preventive care underserved children receive

10. Other legislation and policy • SB 1403 • Removes the pre-treatment radiographic requirement in the Denti-Cal program for claims for children under 4 years old and developmentally disabled patients. • Instead, allows intraoral photographic documentation to prove medical necessity for treatment provided

11. Other legislation and policy • In-Office General Anesthesia • Low reimbursement to dental anesthesiologists for in-office GA administration significantly restricts access to this service • Law requires dental anesthesiologists to be reimbursed at same rate as MD anesthesiologists. This correction should improve access to in-office GA and reduce backlog for hospital OR time

12. Other legislation and policy • In-Office General Anesthesia • CDA, CSPD and dental anesthesiologists advocated expansion of GA benefits within Healthy Families Program • May 2006,Healthy Families Advisory panel unanimously decide to recommend to MRMIB that in-office GA become a Healthy Families Benefit