Pew Charitable Trusts

Poor oral health is the gateway to other health issues; for example, periodontal disease has been linked with increased risk for heart and lung diseases, stroke, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and respiratory disease.

Although oral diseases are often preventable and treatable, many New Yorkers lack access to effective community-level preventive measures and to dental care services.

This project supported work with the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign to identify and analyze policy solutions to increase access to and financing for population health interventions to improve oral health in New York State. Project staff examined the feasibility of a range of approaches and made recommendations to guide future NYHealth investments in this area.