Federal financing of dental services

Federal support of health services delivery has been closely tied to social welfare and economic assistance legislation. Its underlying premise has been that health services should be provided by government only when individuals and families are unable to cope with health problems on their own. Dental care has never drawn a major share of health and welfare resources. It has been authorized in general terms by various statutes, but seldom have funds been earmarked specifically for dental services. Accordingly, the history of federal financing of dental services shows a gradual but progressive extension of services to populations and communities unable to obtain services on their own. Over time, a system of federal grants-in-aid has been built through which assistance is provided to state agencies or directly to communities or individuals. Table 3 provides a summary of the major programs. Before 1965, states received little federal support for dental services, except for funds provided through maternal and child health or crippled children's programs. Although Social Security authorized other public assistance funds that could be used for dental services, these were used principally to provide health services for the elderly. The relatively slow growth of federal dental programs accelerated during the Johnson and Nixon administrations. The explosion of health legislation during these years significantly broadened the federal role in providing health services to individuals and communities. Medicaid, the OEO programs, the health planning acts, migrant health, Appalachian Regional Development, Model Cities, and other statutes had significant impact on the accessibility and availability of dental services in poor, disadvantaged, rural, and otherwise underserved communities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)