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March 15, 2010

Lawmakers to take up dental care access

By John Richardson jrichardson@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media State House Writer

Maine lawmakers will consider a $7 million proposal on Wednesday intended to expand access to dental care across the state.

The bill, scheduled for a public hearing at 1 p.m. before the Health and Human Services Committee, would add a referendum question to the state ballot in November asking for voter approval to borrow the $7 million.

If ultimately approved by the Legislature and state voters, $5 million would be used to build a teaching clinic where dental students can train for full-time careers and provide inexpensive care. The other $2 million would pay for upgrading community health clinics so they can provide dental care to rural communities.

The lack of a dental school in Maine is considered one reason some areas of the state, especially rural communities, have just one dentist for every 5,000 residents, according to federal data. The national average is one dentist for every 1,700 residents.

Untreated dental conditions are now a leading cause of emergency room visits among MaineCare recipients.

While any school willing to build a dental teaching clinic could apply for the $5 million grant, the University of New England already is planning to open a dental school in Portland in 2012 and is considered the most likely recipient. UNE also plans to send dental students to rural health clinics for residencies of six to 12 months.

The proposal has strong bipartisan support, but also is facing strong opposition because of intense competition for state funding and because of a reluctance to add to the state’s debt in the midst of a weak economy.

Following the public hearing, committee members are scheduled to discuss the bill and make recommendations to the full Legislature.

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