The 2024 presidential election could have major implications on the future of dental care and oral health in the U.S., even though neither candidate has talked much about the topic on the campaign trail.
Voters across the political spectrum have expressed strong support for legislation to improve and expand access to dental care, according to polls from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.
The findings, published in July, revealed that 85% of respondents who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2022 and 99% of respondents who voted for the Democratic candidate in the past two elections want Medicare to include a dental benefit. In addition, nearly three-quarters of voters support the addition of adult dental benefits to Medicaid at either the state or federal level.
So why are Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris not addressing dental care more during the build-up to the election?
According to Melissa Burroughs, director of policy at CareQuest, there is still a growing wave of momentum behind oral healthcare improvements, even if the presidential candidates are not talking about it explicitly.
"I think for a long time, policy makers weren't talking about oral health issues, just because it was kind of a forgotten issue, one that really wasn't getting attention across the board," Ms. Burroughs told Becker's. "There's definitely been more conversation around this, with a lot of policy makers trying to make the most of that conversation moving forward on rural health once it was clear how popular these issues were."
Ms. Burroughs said that there are four major policies and programs that could be implemented to improve oral health and access to dental care. The changes CareQuest is advocating for include having Medicare cover dental care, changing dental care eligibility for veterans, modifying the Affordable Care Act to include adult dental coverage and making sure that states are offering dental benefits to their residents
At this point in the cycle, neither ticket has taken an outright stance on policies and plans for the future of dental care in the U.S., even though voters are clear about where they stand.
"There is a very clear need, a very clear desire from voters for addressing this issue," Ms. Burroughs told Becker's. "But we're in a place where both tickets could stand to be talking about these issues more."