Sen. Sanders unveils report on nation's 'dental crisis'

Liberal firebrand Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a report Wednesday that concludes America faces a "dental crisis" and urgently needs to boost the number of dentists and dental assistants while expanding Medicaid's dental benefit to cover adults.

According to the report: 

• more than 47 million people live in places where it is difficult to access dental care;

• more than 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance;

• about 17 million low-income children see a dentist less than once a year; and 

• only 45 percent of Americans age 2 and older saw a dental provider in the past 12 months.

The report recommends increasing the number of dental providers through the National Health Service Corps and focusing on oral health as part of the healthcare reform law's expansion of federally qualified health centers. It also recommends increasing Medicaid payment rates and boosting preventive services and education.

"It is my hope that through this hearing we will better understand the problems that exist in accessing dental services and will become better educated about the solutions that can help us to reduce barriers to care to improve health and reduce costs," Sanders said.

Sanders released the report during a hearing of his Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions primary care subcommittee. It comes 12 years after the first-ever surgeon general's report on oral health identified a "silent epidemic" of dental and oral diseases, and five years after Maryland 12-year-old Deamonte Driver died from an untreated tooth infection despite being on Medicaid.

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