Why is oral health consistently shunted aside in the discussion of overall healthcare?
From the beginning of modern medicine, dentistry was considered a separate profession from medicine. Medicaid today generally only covers oral care for children and occasionally for pregnant women, according to the report.
Employers are increasingly beginning to offer dental insurance, but it’s nowhere near as common of a benefit as health insurance. Oral health may superficially seem to be a cosmetic issue – the goal of the perfect white smile – but it is actually linked to overall health, according to Mayo Clinic.
Oral healthcare leaders have even travelled to Capitol Hill to advocate for breaking down the barriers to adequate dental care.
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