You’ve probably heard a lot of what will happen with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. But what about dental benefits?

The new health care law requires dental coverage for children 18 and younger by 2014. It’s one of the 10 major benefit categories, also known as “essential health benefits.”

The numbers of uninsured children will drop dramatically in the next 5 years, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). They predict the number of children without dental benefits could be reduced by 55% with the new federal law. According to the ADA 8.7 million children could have dental coverage through the Affordable Care Act by 2018. More than 3 million children will get benefits through the state exchanges or health care marketplaces. Other children will be covered by Medicaid or insurance provided by their parents’ employers.

The number of adults to gain dental coverage is expected to be nearly 18 million, according to the ADA. About 800,000 adults will get benefits through insurance exchanges with the rest through Medicaid and employer-sponsored insurance.

The Affordable Care Act will also provide funding to expand dental care in rural areas with few dentists. This is good news if you’re working as a dental professional or are training to become one.

If you’re interested in learning more about health and dental coverage in Idaho, visit Your Health Idaho.