State budget sends mixed message on dental care

David S. Samuels, DDS, President Massachusetts Dental Society, Southborough, Boston Globe, February 4, 2010 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 ... State