You probably have read this statistic – 60 percent of children in the United States will have cavities by age 5. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of preschoolers with dental caries was on the rise after several decades of declining numbers.

Research demonstrates that children with dental problems struggle to focus on learning in school. Annually, children lose over 51 million school hours due to dental pain and illness. Medical professionals report that children in this group are more likely to have ear and sinus infections, and are at increased risk of developing other chronic medical problems, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Pediatric dental coverage and the Affordable Care Act Children's dental issues were on the minds of lawmakers as they crafted the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA requires medical plans within the public exchanges to offer a group of Essential Health Benefits that includes dental benefits for children, typically up to age 19. Exchanges can offer stand-alone dental plans for children if the major medical plans don't offer dental benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.