Take Action This Election Season: Candidates Need to Hear about Oral Health

For far too many people in this country, oral health care is too expensive and out of reach — even though we know it is critically important to overall health. And for far too long, despite strong support from voters, candidates and policymakers have consistently put “access to oral health” on the backburner. 

This election cycle, we need to change that. 

This election cycle, we, as oral health advocates, need to educate ourselves on how to create change if we want to see policy progress. This blog post will give you the knowledge, tools, and confidence to take action — and help us all speak up. 

Voters want action on oral health issues. They know that no one in this country should have to choose between getting the care they need, putting food on the table, or saving for retirement. In a new national poll, voters rank Medicare dental coverage just as important as abortion and higher than the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

Other key findings from the poll of 1,000 voters: 

• 9 in 10 voters (92%) support adding a dental benefit to Medicare. 
• 85% of respondents who voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 and 99% of those who voted for the Democratic candidate in those two elections want a dental benefit added to Medicare. 
• 9 in 10 voters want expanded coverage to include dental services for veterans. 
• 7 in 10 voters support adding adult dental benefits to Medicaid. 
• Additional polling in key swing states — Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — shows similar results on all of these issues. 

This growing, bipartisan support presents a powerful mandate for action and a clear signal to candidates to speak up on oral health. But with so much happening in this year’s election cycle, it is up to advocates to make sure this message is heard. 

Luckily, we’ve seen an increase in momentum to improve oral health policy in the past several years. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken incremental steps to improve oral health access in Medicare and in ACA health coverage. Congress has also increased the pace of discussion about these issues in the past several years, including a full Senate committee hearing in May. And the recently released Democratic Party Platform includes language to strengthen dental coverage in Medicare. 

So far, though, public discussion on oral health care access from the campaign trail has been lacking, even from candidates who are theoretically supportive. As oral health advocates, now is the time to ensure that all candidates — from all political parties and at every level of government — are not only aware of the importance of oral health but are also committed to taking concrete steps to improve access and coverage for all. 

Three Steps You Can Take Today 

Email Presidential Candidates: Use our tool to send messages directly to the presidential candidates, urging them to prioritize oral health. Your voices can help ensure that oral health is on their agendas. 

Use OPEN’s Toolkit: The Oral Health Progress and Equity Network (OPEN) has developed a comprehensive toolkit designed to amplify the results of our recent poll and engage candidates at all levels of government. Use these resources to raise awareness and to advocate for oral health in your community. 

Share Resources: Spread the word and share this blog post with your networks by clicking the social media buttons below. The more voices we have advocating for oral health, the stronger our impact will be. 

We know that everyone deserves access to quality dental care, regardless of their age, income, or background. Together, we can make oral health a higher-profile issue for the candidates who are our future policymakers.