American Dental Association President William R. Calnon, DDS, issued a statement on Sen. Bernie Sanders' Comprehensive Dental Reform Act.
The ADA president said, "The ADA is pleased that Senator Sanders' bill recognizes that the barriers that impede too many Americans from attaining good oral health are numerous, and that addressing only one or a few of them will not appreciably improve what all agree is an unacceptable situation. The ADA has written to Sen. Sanders to express support for much of the bill and to offer suggestions intended to strengthen some provisions, but also to express the Association's continued opposition to expending precious federal dollars on unproven and, we believe, unnecessary programs to expand the use of so-called midlevel dental providers.
"We hope that our few areas of disagreement do not obscure our welcoming Sen. Sanders to this fight. His bill aims high, and that has long been needed. We fully support his intent, to help extend good oral
health to all Americans, and we applaud his leveraging his influence as a United States senator in pursuit of that goal."
To view the complete letter submitted to the senator, click here.
