Page 1 of 3
Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 32
BY SENATOR CHEEK
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To request the Department of Health and Hospitals to study whether to amend Louisiana's
State Medicaid Plan to permit physicians to apply fluoride varnish to the teeth of
children under the age of seven who are enrolled in the state Medicaid program and
receive appropriate reimbursement, to determine the feasibility of providing such
reimbursement, to estimate the costs of such a program, and to submit a written
report of its findings and conclusions, including any recommendations for legislation
and appropriations relative to the issue, to the Senate Committee on Health and
Welfare and the House Committee on Health and Welfare by February 1, 2012.
WHEREAS, tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common chronic childhood
disease; and
WHEREAS, tooth decay is an almost completely preventable disease; and
WHEREAS, early childhood dental caries signal a serious threat to the current and
future health and school success of Louisiana's youngest children; and
WHEREAS, sixty-six percent of Louisiana's third grade children have already
experienced at least one cavity in their lifetime according to the Bright Smiles for Bright
Futures Basic Screening Survey conducted by the Department of Health and Hospitals' Oral
Health Program; and
WHEREAS, strong evidence and the experience of other states have shown that the
application of fluoride varnish is a safe and effective strategy to significantly reduce the
incidence of cavities among high-risk young children; and
WHEREAS, respected professional organizations, including the American Academy
of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric
Dentistry, and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, have endorsed the SCR NO. 32 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 3
use of fluoride varnish for individuals at moderate to high risk for tooth decay in order to
reduce lifetime dental caries experience; and
WHEREAS, many Louisiana children have limited access to dental care, as
evidenced by the facts that just thirty-eight percent of eligible children served by Medicaid
in State Fiscal Year 2010 received dental care over the course of the year and fifty-six of
Louisiana's sixty-four parishes are considered to be dental health professional shortage areas;
and
WHEREAS, young children are far more likely to visit a medical provider than a
dentist, as evidenced by the fact that in 2007, forty-nine percent of Louisiana children five
years of age and younger had not received preventive dental care visits in the previous year,
but just seven percent of children under the age of five had not received preventive medical
care; and
WHEREAS, only twenty-eight percent of Louisiana's population has access to
fluoridated water, ranking Louisiana forty-seventh among the states in a recent analysis
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana's low rate of fluoridation of community water supplies creates
an even greater need for fluoride varnish to protect the teeth of young children; and
WHEREAS, the costs of repairing tooth decay and subsequent maintenance of
repairs throughout life could be reduced significantly through fluoride varnish application
at the earliest ages; and
WHEREAS, pediatricians and family physicians who see and follow children from
birth are ideally positioned to positively impact the oral health of our youngest children by
applying fluoride varnish, by educating parents on the elements of good oral hygiene in the
earliest years, and by referring young children to dentists; and
WHEREAS, forty-three other states have approved Medicaid reimbursement for
medical providers to apply fluoride varnish; and
WHEREAS, states have projected net savings for their Medicaid programs as a result
of their fluoride varnish programs; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana can best seek to save money and improve health through
prevention wherever possible; and SCR NO. 32 ENROLLED
Page 3 of 3
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the
Louisiana Dental Association, the Louisiana State Medical Society, the Louisiana Oral
Health Coalition, and Agenda for Children support the implementation of a program to
reimburse medical providers for the application of fluoride varnish to the teeth of children
under the age of seven through the state's Medicaid program.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals to study whether to amend
Louisiana's State Medicaid Plan to provide Medicaid reimbursement to medical providers
for the application of fluoride varnish to the teeth of children under the age of seven who are
enrolled in the state Medicaid program, to determine the feasibility of providing such
reimbursement, to estimate the costs of such a program, and to submit a written report of its
findings and conclusions, including any recommendations for legislation and appropriations
relative to the issue, to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare and the House
Committee on Health and Welfare by February 1, 2012.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals and to the Louisiana Oral Health
Coalition.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES