In the News

An estimated 68.5 million U.S. adults lacked dental insurance in 2023, according to the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. That’s more than 2.5 times the roughly 26 million Americans of all ages who lack health insurance. Read the full story...

"Poor oral health can have far-reaching consequences, not only as a precursor to other physical health issues but as a factor in depression and mental health issues," said Myechia Minter-Jordan, the president and CEO of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Read the full story...

"The Biden administration initially considered the addition of comprehensive Medicare dental coverage as part of its proposed Build Back Better legislation, a broad US$1.8 trillion legislative package designed to fix problems ranging from child care costs to climate change, but failed to get enough support in Congress." Read the full story...

"Indiana's steep drop in insured families came after a national pandemic-era policy ensuring Medicaid dental coverage ended, according to Dr. Kaz Rafia, chief health equity officer at Boston-based CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, which released the study.Nationwide, 12 million people lost dental insurance." Read the full story...

"Individuals in rural communities face a number of barriers in accessing oral care, including financial concerns, lack of insurance coverage, shortage of providers, and difficulty accessing transportation services, according to the 2023 report “Still Searching: Meeting Oral Health Needs in Rural Settings” by CareQuest Institute for Oral...

"For the estimated 68.5 million adults who lack dental insurance in the United States, according to the 2023 State of Oral Health Equity in America survey from CareQuest Institute, that individual care can seem elusive. There are options, though, that are much safer than DIY care." Read the full story...

"An estimated 91 million adults in America had no dental insurance at the end of 2023, according to the CareQuest Institute of Oral Health. The vast majority are low-income, minorities and older Americans." Read the full story...

"Dr. Rafia, the chief health equity officer and executive vice president at the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, recently spoke with Becker's to discuss the new CMS dental rule and what it means for dental care accessibility going forward." Read the full story...

"With high prices discouraging many families from seeking routine dental care, 92% of adults said they have considered delaying dental care due to costs. Research also found that 27% of adults put off dental care because they could not afford it." Read the full story...

"Dr. Minter-Jordan believes that expanding Medicaid could help provide support to Black women. “Medicaid benefits for pregnant people vary widely by state and, in many cases, Medicaid coverage may extend only 60 days postpartum, even though 50% of maternal deaths occur up to a year after giving birth,” she says." Read the full story...

"Veterans often face challenges in accessing necessary dental care, which negatively affects their overall well-being and work productivity, according to a report from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and the American Institute of Dental Public Health (AIDPH)." Read the full story...

Rebekah Mathews, Vice President of Health Transformation at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health (Boston): "Health information technology is expanding in response to the economies of scale that DSOs create and the business intelligence support they need as a result." Read the full story...