In a California Healthline Special Report by Kenny Goldberg, experts discussed the challenges of improving pediatric dental care in California.
According to CMS, California has one of the nation’s lowest rates of kids who receive dental care. Experts say that trend could stem from a lack of awareness among parents, as well as the state’s low reimbursement rates for pediatric dentists who treat beneficiaries of Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.
The Special Report includes comments from:
- Jim Crall, chair of the division of public health and community dentistry at UCLA School of Dentistry;
- Parvathi Pokala, a pediatric dentist at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego;
- Paul Reggiardo, a pediatric dentist in Huntington Beach; and
- Lindsey Robinson, president of the California Dental Association (Goldberg, California Healthline, 2/13).
The complete transcript of this Special Report is available as a PDF.