Sacramento, CA – Today, Governor Jerry Brown signed groundbreaking legislation that will help prevent and treat dental disease among California’s most vulnerable populations. A broad coalition of supporters hailed the action as an important step toward increasing access to dental care for underserved children across California. The Governor’s signature echoes the will of the Legislature, which sent the bill to his desk with not a single “no” vote.
Authored by Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra, AB 1174 will allow the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) demonstration project to be spread across communities throughout the state. The VDH is an innovative program that brings dental care to patients in places like schools, Head Start sites, and
assisted living centers. As a demonstration project, it has proven to help address many of the barriers that impede countless Californians from receiving the dental care they need, including lack of affordable transportation and lack of dentists who treat children enrolled in Medi-Cal.
“Tooth decay is almost entirely preventable, yet remains the largest unmet children’s health need in California today,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership, the lead organization championing AB 1174. “The Virtual Dental Home not only makes sense and helps
solve this serious public health problem, but it also has proven to be cost-effective, safe, and wellliked by children and adults who most likely would have otherwise gone without care.”
The Virtual Dental Home has been providing treatment and prevention services to high-risk children and adults for over three years in California through a state-approved demonstration program. Under the demonstration project, specially-trained dental hygienists and assistants use technology, such as
portable x-ray machines and electronic health records, to examine and collect information on the patient. They then send the information electronically to a supervising dentist who creates a dental treatment plan for the hygienist or assistant to carry out.
“We commend the Governor’s commitment to improving dental care access for high-risk children and other populations throughout the state,” said Dr. Paul Glassman, Director of the Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and creator of the
Virtual Dental Home. “California is again leading the way by utilizing technology and innovation to bring essential services to people who need them most.”
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