Poor oral health affects more than the mouth.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CHAPTER ONE

Can Texas Afford Not to Care About Oral Health?

CHAPTER TWO

How Does the Oral Health Care System in Texas Work?

CHAPTER THREE

Does the Oral Health of Texas Measure Up?

CHAPTER FOUR

Where is the Greatest Need For Oral Health Care in Texas?

CHAPTER FIVE

How Can Texas Build Better Oral Health?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND SOURCES

It can seriously compromise a person’s general health, quality of life and life expectancy. Oral diseases can and do lead to systemic problems — damaging other parts of the body and resulting in the need for expensive emergency department visits, hospital stays and medications.

The consequences of poor oral health, however, go far beyond damaging medical effects. Oral disease can also wreak economic havoc — keeping children out of school and adults home from work — not to mention lower productivity of workers in pain. Untreated oral diseases can also drive up health care costs in general.

The good news is that with proper oral health care, both at home and in professional settings, many of the negative consequences associated with poor oral health can be prevented.

In early 2008, the Texas Dental Association with grant funding from the American Dental Association (ADA), commissioned an independent third-party report on oral health care in Texas. Building Better Oral Health: A Dental Home for all Texans was developed by five nationally recognized Texas dentists from around the state. The groundbreaking report examines the state’s most pressing oral health care challenges and proposes five recommendations to build better oral health for all Texans.

The time to act is now.

To learn more, download a copy of the report.