,i  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eci  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #bg1 #bjae  
,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois 7for herself   
and ,mr4 ,simpson7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend part ,b of title   
,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service   
,act to improve essential oral health   
care for lower income individuals by    
breaking down barriers to care1 and for 
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,action for    
,dental ,health ,act of #bjae4  #b4     
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,more than #aha million          
,americans will not visit a dentist even
 though nearly half of people over #cj  
suffer from some form of gum disease and
 nearly one in four children under the  
age of five already have cavities4  7#b7
 ,many volunteer dental projects        
sponsored by national1 ,state1 and local
 dental societies provide free care now 

to those most in need4 ,annually1       
dentists deliver an estimated #b4f      
billion in free and discounted care     
according to the ,america's ,dentists   
,care ,foundation4  7#c7 ,it is         
estimated that emergency department     
7,,ed7 charges for dental complaints    
totaled up to #b4a billion in #bjaj4    
,nearly #hj percent of the dental       
emergency room visits were nonurgent and
 could have been seen in a dental       
office4 ,shifting those ,,ed visits to a
 dental office translates into potential
 cost savings of up to #a4g billion a   
year and offers the possibility of      
establishing a dental home for these    
individuals4  7#d7 ,seniors1 especially 
those in nursing homes and long-term    
care facilities1 often have special     
dental needs and complicated medical    
histories that require consultation     
between dentists and fellow medical     
professionals in providing an           
interdisciplinary approach to their     
overall health needs4  #c4 ,volunteer   

dental projects and action for dental   
health program ,part ,b of title ,,iii  
of the ,public ,health ,service ,act is 
revised by amending section #cag,m 7#db 
,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;b-#ad7 as follows3  7#a7 
by redesignating subsections 7e7 and 7f7
 as 7g7 and 7h71 respectively2  7#b7 by 
inserting after subsection 7d71 the     
following3  7e7 ,grants ,to ,support    
,volunteer ,dental ,projects  7#a7 ,in  
general ,the ,secretary1 acting through 
the ,director of the ,centers for       
,disease ,control and ,prevention1 may  
award grants to or enter into contracts 
with eligible entities to obtain        
portable or mobile dental equipment1 and
 pay for appropriate operational costs1 
for the provision of free dental        
services to underserved populations that
 are delivered in a manner consistent   
with ,state licensing laws4  7#b7       
,eligible entity ,in this subsection1   
the term eligible entity includes a     
,state or local dental association1 a   
,state oral health program1 a dental    

education1 dental hygiene education1 or 
postdoctoral dental education program   
accredited by the ,commission on ,dental
 ,accreditation1 and a community-based  
organization that partners with an      
academic institution1 that--  7,a7 is   
exempt from tax under section #eja7;c7  
of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of      
#aihf2 and  7,b7 offers a free dental   
services program for underserved        
populations4  7f7 ,action for ,dental   
,health ,program  7#a7 ,in general ,the 
,secretary1 acting through the ,director
 of the ,centers for ,disease ,control  
and ,prevention1 may award grants to or 
enter into contracts with eligible      
entities to collaborate with ,state1    
county1 or local public officials and   
other stakeholders to develop and       
implement initiatives to accomplish any 
of the following goals3  7,a7 ,to       
improve oral health education and dental
 disease prevention1 including          
community-wide prevention programs1 use 
of dental sealants and fluoride varnish1

 and increasing oral health literacy4   
7,b7 ,to make the health care delivery  
system providing dental services more   
accessible and efficient through the    
development and expansion of outreach   
programs that will facilitate the       
establishment of dental homes for       
children and adults1 including the aged1
 blind1 and disabled populations4  7,c7 
,to reduce geographic1 language1        
cultural1 and similar barriers in the   
provision of dental services4  7,d7 ,to 
help reduce the use of emergency        
departments by those who seek dental    
services more appropriately delivered in
 a dental primary care setting4  7,e7   
,to facilitate the provision of dental  
care to nursing home residents who are  
disproportionately affected by lack of  
care4  7#b7 ,eligible entity ,in this   
subsection1 the term eligible entity    
includes a ,state or local dental       
association1 a ,state oral health       
program1 or a dental education1 dental  
hygiene1 or postdoctoral dental         

education program accredited by the     
,commission on ,dental ,accreditation1  
and a community-based organization that 
partners with an academic institution1  
that--  7,a7 is exempt from tax under   
section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal       
,revenue ,code of #aihf2 and  7,b7      
partners with public and private        
stakeholders to facilitate the provision
 of dental services for underserved     
populations4  2 and  7#c7 in subsection 
7h71 as redesignated by paragraph 7#a71 
by striking fiscal years #bjja through  
#bjje and inserting fiscal years #bjaf  
through #bjbj4