Sec. 43.004. ORAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT SERVICES PROGRAM

(a) The oral health improvement services program is in the department to provide comprehensive oral health services to eligible individuals.

(b) The board shall adopt rules to govern the program, to prescribe the type, amount, and duration of oral health services to be provided, and, if necessary to conform to budgetary limitations, to prescribe a system of program priorities regarding the types of services to be furnished, the geographic areas to be covered, or the classes of individuals eligible for services.

(c) Except as limited by Subsection (b), the department shall develop an integrated framework for the equitable provision of oral health services throughout the state or designated geographic areas, using existing public and private health care resources when possible.

(d) The program may consist of all or any combination of the following:

(1) treatment services for eligible individuals, including:

(A) emergency care for relief of pain and infection, including extractions and basic restorative services to prevent premature loss of teeth;

(B) periodontal therapy for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease;

(C) endodontics to maintain aesthetics and occlusion;

(D) orthodontic care only in cases of severely handicapping malocclusion; and

(E) oral surgery and prosthetics in cases in which health is impaired;

(2) a program of oral disease prevention, including:

(A) the fluoridation of community water supplies;

(B) fluoride mouth rinse programs in schools;

(C) the promotion and implementation of sealants programs; and

(D) the development of appropriate means for prevention of oral disease, including the continued use of recognized methods of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention;

(3) oral health education and promotion, including:

(A) public health education to promote the prevention of oral disease through self-help methods, including the initiation and expansion of preschool, school age, and adult education programs;

(B) organized continuing health education training programs for health care providers; and

(C) preventive health education information for the public; and

(4) facilitation of access to oral health services, including:

(A) the improvement of the existing oral health services delivery system for the provision of services to low-income residents;

(B) outreach activities to inform the public of the type and availability of oral health services to increase the accessibility of oral health care for low-income residents; and

(C) assistance and cooperation in promoting better distribution of dentists and other oral health professionals throughout the state.

(e) The department may provide services only as prescribed by board rules.

(f) The services listed in Subsection (d) may be furnished either directly by the department or through a network of approved providers.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.