Opportunities to Address Healthy People 2030 Dental Care Access Challenges in California

Healthy People is a framework that defines the nation’s health challenges and realistic attainable goals over the course of the decade that follows. Healthy People 2030 (HP2030) dental health goals that remain unmet include goals to reduce the proportion of children with decay, reduce the proportion of edentulous adults over the age of 45, increase the preventive visits in children, and increase the proportion of children with dental sealants. The authors identify and present resources and tools that can help achieve these unmet goals, increase the use of the oral healthcare system and reduce the percentage of people who cannot access dental care when they need it in California. Dental provider participation in California’s Medicaid program (Denti-Cal) remains limited, despite competitive and extensive benefits. Thus, increasing Denti-Cal awareness and considering alternative payment models are needed. Additionally, addressing California’s significant workforce maldistribution has potential for increasing California’s capacity for patient care. Finally, improving patient oral health literacy (OHL) as well as practitioner- and facility-capacity for OHL-focused communications has the potential to increase knowledge about the benefits of increasing utilization among the underserved population. California’s patients and clinicians stand to benefit from improving awareness of these reimbursement programs, workforce incentives and improved OHL, ultimately improving the state’s oral health outcomes and helping to achieve HP2030 goals.