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American Dental Education Association


Volume 2, No. 87, February 14, 2023

HHS Issues a Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
 
On Feb. 9, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra informed U.S. governors that the current Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11 and that because of the current conditions, he does not plan to extend it. The letter included the agency’s “COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap [ [link removed] ] ,” which was also released on Feb 9. The roadmap provides guidance to assist state and local governments as they prepare to wind down from the PHE, including listing what services will be affected by the PHE’s ending and those services that will not be affected.
 
For example, many of the telehealth flexibilities will not end as they were extended by Congress through 2024. However, a pandemic-era policy originally tied to the PHE barring states from kicking Medicaid enrollees off the rolls during the public health crisis will now end April 1. The April 1 ending date was established in the recently passed omnibus appropriation bill.
 
The roadmap [ [link removed] ] may be further updated as we get closer to the May 11 PHE end date.

USDA Proposes Update to School Lunches, Limiting Added Sugars
 
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced [ [link removed] ] proposed updates to school nutrition standards. The proposed rule [ [link removed] ] is the first in over 15 years and is an attempt to address the United States’ rising childhood obesity numbers, which currently stands at 14.4 million. The final rule is expected to be finalized in the fall of 2023, with implementation beginning in the fall of 2024 and ending in the fall of 2029.
 
The updates propose changes that would further reduce the amounts of sodium in meals and increase the number of whole grains. The availability of flavored milk will also be limited to certain fat-free and low-fat, flavored milk with “reasonable limits for added sugars.” For the first time, added sugars will be addressed in school nutrition standards. Currently, there is no limit on added sugars in the school meal programs.
 
Under the proposed rule, beginning in fall 2025, added sugars would be gradually limited over time, starting with limits on certain products, such as the most common sources of added sugars in school meals: breakfast cereals, flavored milks, grain-based desserts and yogurt. By fall 2027, the rule proposes limiting overall added sugars across the weekly menu to less than 10% of calories per meal, on average, to better align meals with the dietary guidelines. The proposed rule also acknowledges that tooth decay and cavities are associated with sugar-sweetened beverages.
 
The public comment period for the proposed rule is from Feb. 7 through April 10.

2023 ADEA/AADOCR/Friends of NIDCR Advocacy Day
 
On Thursday, March 30, 2023, the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) will join forces for a 2023 Advocacy Day [ [link removed] ] on Capitol Hill.
 
For the first time since 2019, this event will be held in-person on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Participants will receive a legislative briefing and training session on March 29 (in-person or virtual) that will feature speakers from Congress, the Biden Administration and the NIDCR. The following day, March 30, will be dedicated to group meetings on Capitol Hill with targeted congressional offices, including participants’ own elected officials.
 
The deadline to register [ [link removed] ] for the 2023 Advocacy Day is February 16.

West Virginia Bill Would Add New Specialties and Make Other Updates to Dental Practice Act
 
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would add new specialties to the state’s Dental Practice Act. If signed into law, the bill would add recognition of dental anesthesiology, oral medicine and orofacial pain.
 
Additionally, the bill would also update several definitions in the Dental Practice Act, and would allow dentists and dental hygienists with a local anesthesia certificate to do the following:
 • Administer vaccines,
 • Perform Food and Drug Administration-authorized diagnostic tests to screen patients for infectious diseases,
 • Triage medical patients and
 • Perform other ancillary medical procedures and activities as requested by medical personnel during a declared public health emergency.

Utah State Legislature Passes Bill to Extend Dental Benefits to All Adults Enrolled in Medicaid
 
Both chambers of the Utah State Legislature have now passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would extend dental benefits to all adults who are enrolled in Medicaid. The state currently grants dental benefits [ [link removed] ] to adults who are blind or disabled, pregnant, in substance abuse programs, age 65 or older and other targeted populations. Adults who are not among the populations that currently receive benefits are eligible for limited emergency benefits and are given access to the state’s family dental plan, which requires them to pay for services at the same rate as Medicaid. If signed into law, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services would be required to request to receive approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services before the new coverage can be implemented. The bill will now be sent to the Gov. Spencer Cox (R) for consideration.
 
Expanding or adding dental benefits has been trending among states. In recent years, Delaware [ [link removed] ] , Hawaii [ [link removed] ] , Maine [ [link removed] ] , Maryland [ [link removed] ] , Minnesota [ [link removed] ] , Tennessee [ [link removed] ] and Virginia [ [link removed] ] have all added or expanded dental benefits for adults enrolled in Medicaid.

Ohio Governor Signs Licensure Reciprocity Bill
 
In January, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine (R) signed legislation [ [link removed] ] that would expand licensure reciprocity for dentists and dental hygienists. Under the new law, most state licensing authorities, including the Ohio State Dental Board (Board), are required to issue a license to anyone who has held a license in good standing from another jurisdiction for at least one year. Additionally, an applicant for licensure would also be required to have been actively practicing for at least one of the five years immediately preceding the application date, unless a licensing board chooses to waive this requirement.
 
Additionally, the Board would also have to issue a general anesthesia permit and a permit to employ or use conscious sedation to a dentist who holds similar licenses or permits from another jurisdiction. The Board would also be required to issue these permits if the dentist has satisfactory work experience, a government certification or a private certification, as described in the bill, in employing or using conscious sedation in a state that does not issue that license.
 
Similar laws have recently been signed or implemented in Arizona [ [link removed] ] , Iowa [ [link removed] ] , Kansas [ [link removed] ] , Mississippi [ [link removed] ] , Missouri [ [link removed] ] , New Mexico [ [link removed] ] , Oklahoma [ [link removed] ] and West Virginia [ [link removed] ] .

ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • Applications open [ [link removed] ] for Ryan White Part F Dental Reimbursement Program
 • Applications open [ [link removed] ] for HRSA Dental Public Health Research Fellowship
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
 
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Brian Robinson
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
 
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