Kansas Report – May 2021

Kansas activities during the past year were as severely affected by COVID as in other parts of the country. Governor Laura Kelly decided that providing dental care in the state was not an essential service and dental practices were closed in March through early May. The Kansas Dental Association formed a task force to develop strategies for safely opening dental practices in the state as quickly as possible. This task force included a pediatric dentist as well as other specialists and general practitioners. A letter was developed that outlined these strategies and forwarded to the Governor as well as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Environment. Dental practice reopened in Kansas last May and has been unrestricted (other than with recommendations to follow CDC, ADA, AAPD and AAOMS).

Kansas pediatric dentists have also been busy contacting state legislators and have been successful in lobbying for increases in KanCare (Kansas Medicaid) dental reimbursement rates that have continued over the past several years. We are hopeful that these increases will continue into the next legislative session.

Submitted by John Fales, SWSPD Trustee