House passes Action for Dental Health Act of 2023

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Action for Dental Health Act of 2023, which reauthorizes the workforce and access-promoting program through 2028.

The bill, HR 3843, passed March 7 with a vote of 391-32.

The Action for Dental Health program has provided funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration oral health workforce grant program since 2018 in an effort to improve the dental workforce and access to oral health care.

Four representatives spoke in favor of the legislation when it was brought to the floor this week. Rep. Michael Simpson, D.M.D., R-Idaho, said that the bill has improved dental care, strengthened the dental safety net and brought disease prevention and education to underserved communities.

“This reauthorization is an essential step in continuing to address barriers to oral health care services that still exist, like tackling the oral health workforce issues and reducing the number of adults and children living with untreated dental disease,” Dr. Simpson said. “As a former dentist in Blackfoot, Idaho, I know that the more we can provide patients with an early diagnosis, the better off our patients and our oral health care system will be.”

Source: House passes Action for Dental Health Act of 2023 / ADA News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *