Statement by ADA President Mark J. Feldman on the Native American Full Access to Dental Care Act

CHICAGO, Nov.1, 2007 -- “The American Dental Association applauds Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Dave Camp (R-MI) for introducing legislation that will help bring more dentists into the Indian Health Service and Native American tribal areas, where too many people lack sufficient access to the basic dental care that most Americans take for granted.

“The Native American Full Access to Dental Care Act (H.R. 3960) would help address the dental access problem in some of the nation’s most underserved communities, by helping to fill some of the many vacant positions for dentists within the IHS, about one-third of which currently are empty. H.R. 3960 would exempt from federal income taxes government-provided student loan repayment incentives provided to dentists who practice for the IHS, the agency responsible for American Indian and Alaska Native health care. Under current law, those loan repayment incentives are treated as taxable income.

“The ADA thanks Reps. Kind and Camp for introducing this important legislation, and we pledge to support this bill. We also pledge to support other positive solutions to dental access problems so all Americans can get the dental care they need and deserve.”

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 155,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. JADA, a monthly journal, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org

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