In the News

"US adults lose some 243 million hours of productivity annually to oral health issues, with those with lower-paying and hourly jobs more likely to lose more work hours due to either their own or someone else’s unplanned dental visit. Among the key findings in a new report by CareQuest Institute on lost productivity and dental issues is the...

"Access to oral health should not be a luxury reserved only for some. It is a fundamental right that must be extended to every American, regardless of their background or zip code," says Representative Nanette Barragán (D-CA). Barragán recently sat down with Myechia Minter-Jordan, president and CEO of CareQuest Institute, for Chew on This, a...

"To treat people as a whole, we need to bridge the gaps between oral and overall health systems and start integrating medical and dental care, including better integrating electronic health records so dentists and primary care providers can share and access pertinent patient information." Read the full story...

"Utah joins several states nationwide in taking crucial steps toward increasing access to oral health care. According to CareQuest Institute for Oral Health’s recently updated Medicaid Adult Dental Coverage Checker, which highlights the progress advocates and policymakers have made to expand adult dental benefits in the past few years, eight...

"In a study analyzing oral health disparities among Latino residents in the United States, the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health found Latino communities to be more vulnerable when obtaining proper dental services. The study’s findings have raised major concerns among Latino doctors who argue the gaps in accessing oral health care for...

"All states provide some Medicaid dental benefits for adults, but some limit it to only specific segments of the population, like pregnant women or those who have intellectual disabilities, or cover only emergency care, according to CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit that advocates for expanded dental care." Read the full story...

“Despite evidence establishing a profound link between oral health and the pathogenesis of systemic diseases, there is a surprising lack of research regarding its impact on women's health,” writes Josefine Ortiz Wolfe, PhD, MPH, RDH, education specialist at CareQuest Institute in an article published by the Journal Hispanic Dental Association....

The shortage was cited in a report released earlier this year describing the “disproportionate burden” of oral health disease faced by American Indians and Native Alaskans in the U.S. from childhood onward, a crisis it said was rooted in structural racism and exacerbated by a lack of access to healthy food and stable housing. The report was...

An issue that few have identified, however, is that about 14.2 million people, or 28% of adults currently enrolled in Medicaid, will also lose their dental health coverage, according to the data compiled by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a think tank dedicated to oral health in the country. Read the full article...

In another study, published in April, scientists found that diabetics who were treated for periodontal disease saw their overall health care costs decrease by 12 to 14 percent. Read the full article here.

American Indians and Native Alaskans face a “disproportionate burden” of oral health disease in the U.S. from childhood onward, a crisis with roots in structural racism and exacerbated by lack of access to healthy food and housing stability, a joint research effort has found. The situation was outlined in a report compiled by CareQuest...