For the first time in 25 years, Kansas legislators voted to raise the amount paid to dentists working with Medicaid patients. State officials are hoping the increase will lure more dentists to the program, increasing the number of people able to receive care.
Despite having expanded Medicaid dental care to adults in 2022, Kansas is still receiving mediocre health grades. For the fifth year in a row, the state earned a “C” grade on its statewide Oral Health Report Card, according to Oral Health Kansas’ 2025 report published by Oral Health Kansas. The grade reflects modest improvements in some areas but little overall movement. “Kansas is not failing, but we’re not excelling either,” the advocacy group stated when releasing the report.
The numbers are starkest for Kansas children. Nearly 24 percent of children ages two to five have already experienced tooth decay, and among kids ages two to eight, more than half (53 percent) have cavities, according to the Kansas Oral Health Snapshot. Low-income children are hit hardest, facing decay rates significantly higher than their more affluent peers.
Preventive care gaps compound the problem. Between 2024 and 2025, the share of children receiving preventive dental visits through Medicaid’s KanCare program barely changed, shifting by only about 1 percent, according to the organization’s 2025 report. Fewer than half of eligible children actually received preventive services.
And when it comes to sealants—a proven low-cost tool to protect permanent molars—Kansas still lags. Earlier data showed only about 36 percent of third graders had sealants on their molars, according to the 2022 Kansas Oral Health Report Card. That figure has not moved significantly in recent years.
Kansas adults fare a little better. Roughly two-thirds report visiting a dentist each year, according to the latest survey data compiled by Oral Health Kansas. Older Kansans continue to face lasting impacts: Nearly one-third have lost six or more teeth to decay or gum disease, according to a 2023 Oral Health Kansas report. Outcomes for adults, particularly seniors, have remained “relatively unchanged” in recent years.
In order to combat these statistics, Kansas officials expanded Medicaid adult dental coverage in 2022 to include exams, X-rays, cleanings, dentures and more.
“This isn’t just about teeth,” Tanya Dorf Brunner, executive director of Oral Health Kansas, said in a statement. “It’s about equity, health and the economy. If we neglect oral care, the costs show up everywhere else.”
