Improving the Oral Health of the Most Underserved Kansans
Oral health plays an important role in a person’s overall health. Poor oral hygiene can elevate chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In pregnant women, it can lead to pre-term delivery or a baby with low birth weight. Oral health can also impact employment opportunities and peer acceptance.

The current Kansas Medicaid state plan offers only emergency extractions in terms of dental coverage. Additional dental services are covered through value added benefits offered by the Managed Care Organizations but these can vary year to year and are still not comprehensive care. Comprehensive dental benefits would enable Kansans who rely on Medicaid for their dental insurance to access both preventive and restorative (i.e. fillings, root canals, etc) dental care improving their oral health, overall health, and quality of life.

Estimating the Cost of Medicaid Adult Dental Benefits in Kansas

In 2021, Oral Health Kansas collaborated with the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute to prepare a two-page report utilizing Kansas data to show the costs and savings associated with the introduction of comprehensive adult dental benefits in the Kansas Medicaid program. The study, Estimating the Cost of Introducing Comprehensive Medicaid Adult Dental Benefits in Kansas, found the net cost translates to $0.51 per enrollee per month in state funds. The full report can be found here.

Estimating the Cost of Introducing Comprehensive Medicaid Adult Dental Benefits in Kansas is a two-page supplement to a white paper, Making the Case for Dental Coverage for Adults in All State Medicaid Programs, released in July 2021 by the ADA Health Policy Institute, Families USA, and Community Catalyst.

How Can I Take Action or Get Involved?
Join Our List of Supporting Organizations!
Current Supporters:
 Kansas Action for Children
 Kansas Head Start Association
 InterHab
Contact our Policy Director, Christi Wells, to be added to the list!

Use the resources below to advocate for increased Medicaid adult dental benefits in Kansas
OHK Advocacy Toolkit
Additional Resources:
 Dental Insurance Report
 Kansas Report Card
 Michigan’s Dental Coverage Study
 Maryland Medicaid Adult Dental Waiver Program Study
 ADA Health Policy Institute White Paper: Making the Case for Dental Coverage for Adults in All State Medicaid Programs

This work is made possible with financial support from: