American Dental Association President Testifies Before IOM Committee on Access to Oral Health Care

WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Dental Association President Dr. Ronald Tankersley testified today before an Institute of Medicine Committee on Oral Health Access to Services, outlining the ADA's efforts to address ways to improve access for underserved populations.

Dr. Tankersley took the IOM to task for its decision to exclude private practice dentists from two panels it is convening at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study oral health care delivery and access. Private practice dentists represent nearly 92 percent of all professionally active dentists, Dr. Tankersley said, and their input is crucial to addressing the oral health care access issue. Also of concern to the ADA, he added, was the closed-door nature of much of the committee's business.

Dr. Tankersley's oral testimony is available here.

About the American Dental Association

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org.

SOURCE American Dental Association