[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3519-3520]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL REFORM ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National 
Children's Dental Health Month. It is a critical part of overall 
health, yet it is also an issue frequently overlooked.
  Too often we think of dental care as an optional service, but in 
reality, it is a critical component of overall health. Its importance 
first hit home for me 7 years ago when I learned the story of a young 
Maryland boy named Deamonte Driver.
  In February of 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte came from school with a 
headache, which had started as a toothache days before. His mother, who 
worked hard to make ends meet with low-paying jobs, searched for a 
dentist who would accept Medicaid for her children. She found not one 
dentist. Let me say that again. She found not one single dentist who 
would care for her children's teeth.
  At wit's end, Deamonte's mother brought him to the emergency room, 
where he received medication for pain, a sinus infection, and a dental 
abscess. Unfortunately, that was not enough. The bacteria from 
Deamonte's cavity spread to his brain, and at 12 years old, he died for 
lack of a simple procedure early on to remove a tooth. He died less 
than 20 minutes away from where we stand today.
  Deamonte's case served as a jarring lesson on the lack of access to 
care for many families. At the time of Deamonte's death, fewer than one 
in three children under the age of 20 in Maryland's Medicaid program 
received any dental service at all. In the years since, with the 
passage of the Affordable Care Act and new efforts to ensure a 
healthier America, we made significant progress in Maryland and across 
the country. In other words, we have changed the trajectory of so many 
children's destinies.
  Now, 52 percent of children on Medicaid in Maryland receive dental 
services, even as the number of children enrolled has increased by 25 
percent. In fact, through the work of government officials in 
Maryland's Dental Action Coalition, the State has led the way in 
increasing access for dental care for children.
  Nationally, the number of children enrolled in Medicaid who received 
dental care in 2010 jumped to 46 percent, numbers that suggest 
progress, but also signal the work left to be accomplished.
  The implementation of the Affordable Care Act has made a difference, 
allowing millions more children to receive critical medical and dental 
care

[[Page 3520]]

right now. Even more children could access these services if Republican 
Governors in some States reverse their decisions to block the expansion 
of Medicaid.
  I have often said that our children are the living messages we send 
to a future we will never see. Yet, even with the improvements we have 
seen, more must be done to ensure that both children and adults have 
access to needed treatment and preventive care. That is why I 
introduced the Comprehensive Dental Reform Act.
  My legislation would provide funding to improve access to dental care 
through health clinics, school-based services, and other options for 
underserved populations; extend comprehensive dental coverage to 
Americans on Medicare, Medicaid, and VA benefits; increase the number 
of oral health professionals in communities in need; help support 
research and education to better integrate oral health with regular 
care.
  We have come a long way, but more must be done to protect the dental 
health of our children and every American. If we can assure no child 
loses his or her life because a dentist couldn't be found to pull a 
tooth, Deamonte's death won't be in vain.

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