Action for Dental Health Act 2017
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize oral health promotion and disease prevention programs through FY2022.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may award grants or enter into contracts to obtain portable or mobile dental equipment and pay operational costs for the provision of free dental services to underserved populations.
The CDC may also award grants or enter into contracts to collaborate with state, county, or local public officials and other stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives to: (1) improve oral health education and dental disease prevention; (2) make the dental services delivery system more accessible and efficient through outreach programs that facilitate the establishment of dental homes; (3) reduce geographic barriers, language barriers, cultural barriers, and other similar barriers in the provision of dental services; (4) reduce the use of emergency departments by individuals who seek dental services more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care setting; or (5) facilitate the provision of dental care to nursing home residents who are disproportionately affected by lack of care.