Political legislation brings attention to US Dental Care Crisis
A ccording to a report created by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) there is a national crisis in American dental care. On June 7, 2012 Cummings and Sanders – the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, introduced legislation to address the inefficiencies in the American dental care system. Approximately 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance. ¼ of American adults 65 and older have lost all of their teeth. More than 75% of American adults over 30 have gum disease. Additionally, about 17 million low-income children do not go to the dentist every year. On June 26, 2012, PBS aired a documentary about the U.S. dental care system on the investigative news program FRONTLINE . The 50 minute documentary, Dollars and Dentists , analyzes current economic trends and patient access in the dental care industry. The documentary is a joint investigative pie...