TO DENTISTS and many of the patients we serve, Governor Deval Patrick’s $28.2 billion budget seems to be sending a disturbing mixed message.
On the one hand, the governor should be commended for wanting to repeal the tax exemption on candy and soda, which should go a long way in helping to reduce tooth decay, and for seeking higher taxes on smokeless tobacco and cigars, leading causes of oral cancer.
But by eliminating all restorative treatment for adults under the MassHealth dental program, the Patrick administration, in effect, is telling patients that it’s more important to have their oral health problems identified than it is to have them treated. When they do need treatment, these patients will likely now end up in a hospital emergency room, which is far more costly for the state than having care provided in a dental office.
What’s more, what message is this sending to the many dentists now participating or considering enrolling in the MassHealth program if the state does not share that same commitment to its most vulnerable residents?
Oral health is part of overall health. But you don’t have to be a health professional to diagnose this as an example of talking out of both sides of your mouth.
Dr. David S. Samuels
President Massachusetts Dental Society
Southborough 
