Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, adults enrolled in the Denti-Cal program are eligible for an expanded set of dental benefits. The Department of Health Care Services on Nov. 9 issued a special provider bulletin to clarify the dental services that providers may render, bill and be reimbursed for by Denti-Cal in 2018, including scaling and root planing, partial dentures and posterior root canals. The restoration of the full adult dental benefit package presents an opportunity to further improve the oral health of the 7 million adults enrolled in Denti-Cal throughout the state.
Additionally, DHCS published a new benefits quick reference guide based on aid codes and beneficiary residence. The department also issued an update to the Manual of Criteria, which contains the complete listing of procedures and their policy and payment guidelines.
Dentists should note that adult Denti-Cal beneficiaries will have received a written notification of their new benefits by the end of 2017 and may reach out to dental offices with questions.
Recent changes to the Denti-Cal provider application make it easier for dentists to participate in the program. DHCS in early 2017 switched to a new abbreviated dental provider enrollment application that eliminates redundancies of the information requested and significantly reduces the number of pages a provider must complete. Additionally, dentists may receive one-on-one assistance navigating the enrollment application package with an enrollment specialist at an in-person workshop or by calling the Denti-Cal customer service line at 800.423.0507.
12/12/22 update: Providers will now submit their Medi-Cal Dental enrollment applications and documentation and complete their revalidation entirely online through the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE), launched in October 2022 by the state Department of Health Care Services.
For more information regarding the Denti-Cal program, please visit cda.org or contact CDA Public Affairs at 916.554.4984. To automatically receive the monthly Denti-Cal Bulletin and related communications, sign up for the DHCS email list.