Federal supports for state oral health plans

The past decade has witnessed both a proliferation of state oral health plans that include very specific proposals for action and an emergence of federal laws that include support for oral health. This paper provides an overview of state oral health priorities for action as reflected in 40 oral health plans that were developed independently by states. It examines four federal laws - the 2002 Safety Net Improvement Act, the 2009 CHIP Reauthorization Act, the 2009 economic stimulus law, and the 2010 health reform law - to identify opportunities for alignment with action steps proposed in state plans. This analysis identifies 23 categories of activity proposed by states in their action plans and determines that all but six of these activities are now supported by one or more of these four federal laws. State activities undertaken through grants provided under the 2002 Safety Net Improvement Act are analyzed as an example of how states can leverage federal legislation to advance their oral health plans. The paper concludes with consideration of the steps needed for states to promote their oral health plans by leveraging the full capacity of federal legislation.