In the News

As President Donald Trump gets settled into his second term, many industry leaders are wondering which policy changes could affect oral healthcare in the US. Melissa Burroughs, director of public policy at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, spoke with Becker's Healthcare to discuss the policies needed to improve oral care in the US under the Trump administration.Read the full story here.

Two common misconceptions about Medicare are that it doesn’t cover dental care and that beneficiaries need to pay all dental expenses out of pocket, which could explain why most older adults have gum disease. Roughly half of people with Medicare haven’t had a dental visit in a year, according to the KFF health policy research group. Poor oral health is associated with medical problems like heart disease, stroke, and cognitive impairment. 

California health advocates are expressing concerns over the Trump administration's proposed federal funding freeze, which could significantly impact California's Medicaid dental services. In this article in ABC10, Melissa Burroughs, CareQuest Institute Director of Public Policy, shares how any disruption of the state's Medicaid program could reverse recent improvements in dental care access, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.

Melissa Burroughs, public policy director at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, says poor oral health can increase the chances of depression and mental health issues. Moreover, Black adults are 68% more likely than white adults to have an unmet dental need, according to CareQuest Institute research.

"According to the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, in 2021, the nation's poorest households paid more than seven times more for dental care than higher-income and insured households."

"An estimated 68.5 million adults go without dental insurance, according to the 2023 State of Oral Health Equity in America survey by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health."

“Shifting toward value-based care, in which providers are rewarded for quality care and health outcomes, rather than the quantity of care delivered, will incentivize prevention and personalization in care,” said Melissa Burroughs, public policy director at Boston-based CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.

"Today at least 68.5 million Americans lack dental insurance, according to a 2023 survey by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Having multiple fluoride sources offers peoples’ teeth much needed protection, says Susan Fisher-Owens, a University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center pediatrician, who studies barriers to children’s dental health."

"Removing fluoride from drinking water would also exacerbate existing health disparities — especially for underserved populations who may struggle to access regular dental care, says Melissa Burroughs, public policy director at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a national nonprofit focused on creating an accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system."

"CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, which advocates for accessible and equitable dental care, found that 67% of Pennsylvanians visited a dentist in 2023, while 7% of residents skipped visiting a dentist while having an oral health problem due to costs."