Understanding the History and Securing the Future of Ryan White Dental Safety Net Programs
This white paper reviews the Ryan White dental programs, the populations served by the programs, the federal funding streams for oral health and the opportunities and challenges presented by health care reform.
Key Policy Points
• The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program encompasses the Dental Reimbursement Program and the Community-Based Dental Partnership Program, created in response to gaps in dental care for people living with HIV/AIDS. The program is literally the only path to critical preventive dental services and treatment for thousands of adults in the United States who need the care the most.
• The Dental Reimbursement Program served 41,464 clients in 2013, of which most did not have the financial resources to pay for the dental care they received and/or lacked dental insurance.
• In 2013, Dental Reimbursement Program grantees, such as academic dental institutions, were awarded only 26.10% of their non-reimbursed costs, resulting in a total o $32,387,629 in non-reimbursed costs.
Examining America's Dental Safety Net
This white paper examines the persistent unmet need for dental care and outlines the contributions of dental safety net providers, including academic dental institutions, in addressing it.
Key Policy Points:
• Over 108 million Americans lack dental insurance and thus access to dental care. The dental safety net provides crucial care for those who do not have access to care, such as the uninsured, under-insured and those who lack financial resources.
• Academic dental institutions (ADIs) are one of the major providers of care in the dental safety net. ADIs educate and train residents, dental and allied dental students to care for underserved populations.
• ADIs provide more than $74 million, each year, in uncompensated dental care and procedures.
• Dental safety net providers, such as ADIs, need adequate resources to support and maintain access and delivery of dental care, and to educate and train the next generation of providers to meet the growing demand.
