FDA sends final rules banning menthol cigars and cigarettes

For over a decade, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been exploring the possibility of a national ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes and cigars. Studies have demonstrated that menthol flavoring can make these products more addictive than tobacco-flavored ones because it masks the taste of tobacco. All other flavors, except for menthol, were banned in 2009. Now, the FDA has taken a “momentous” step forward in banning these menthol products by sending final rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget. This signals the final step of review for regulatory documents. Organizations are urging the Office of Management and Budget to act quickly and expedite the review so final regulations can be issued by the end of the year.

Why does it matter? ASDA’s I-4 policy discourages the use of tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaping products and alternatives. ASDA encourages federal research agencies to dedicate more resources to understanding the effects of these products on oral health and to develop evidence-based recommendations.

Uninsured rate has the potential to drop by 25%

A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute estimates that the uninsured rate would drop by 25% if the 10 states that have yet to expand Medicaid coverage, did so. The states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming – have not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility despite having the option under the Affordable Care Act. If each state expanded Medicaid, more than 2.3 million people would gain access to health coverage.

Why does it matter? ASDA’s H-2 policy supports evidence-based measures that are efficacious and sustainable in reducing barriers to care in underserved communities. These measures include, but are not limited to, early intervention, Medicaid expansion, and co-location of health services.

Maine launches mobile dentistry program in schools

Around 30,000 children in Cumberland County, Maine are not receiving regular preventive oral healthcare. To address this need, the Cumberland County Public Health Department partnered with the Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine to allocate $650,000 in funding to launch a new initiative to ensure public school students in the county have access to preventive dental care. The care will be delivered through mobile oral health services at their school. Parents have indicated that routine preventive dental care at school will help students who struggle with anxiety around medical settings, whose parents have inflexible work schedules, or those who face transportation challenges

States help healthcare workers with student loans

Missouri: A new state law has awarded $4.9 million to expand a program that helps certain Missouri healthcare workers, including dental school grads, repay student loans. The goal is to attract and increase the number of healthcare providers in Missouri, where nearly every county has been designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Mississippi: To address the state’s need for medical and dental services in underserved areas, Mississippi is offering a scholarship program. Dental and medical grads are eligible for financial support and mentorship in exchange for practicing in the state’s underserved areas.

Delaware: Delaware Governor John Carney signed a piece of legislation that makes dentists eligible to participate in the state’s Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Grant Program. The program awards education loan repayment grants to new primary care providers up to $50,000 annually for a maximum of four years.

Illinois makes changes to Dental Practice Act, creates e-prescribing exemptions

Recently signed legislation in Illinois makes numerous changes to the state’s Dental Practice Act and creates new exemptions to e-prescribing requirements. Some of the changes in the bill include:

• Allowing a license to be granted by credentials if an applicant has been practicing dentistry or dental hygiene for at least two years immediately preceding the filing of an application. In contrast, current law requires an applicant for licensure by credentials to practice for at least three of the five years immediately preceding an application.
• Allowing a public health dental hygienist to treat patients without a dentist first examining the patient if the patient does not have insurance and is part of a household with an income that is no greater than 300% of the federal poverty level.
• Requiring all prescriptions issued for Schedule II controlled substances to include the quantity prescribed.
• An individual who certifies to the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that they will not issue more than 150 prescriptions during a 12-month period is not required to comply with e-prescribing requirements. After 2029, this exemption only applies if a prescriber certifies they will issue no more than 50 prescriptions during a 12-month period.