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In effect as of October 1, 2026

2026 Dental Regulations - Community Partner Hub

The Connecticut Dental Health Partnership (CTDHP) is here to help HUSKYHealth Members achieve and maintain good oral health. Learn about the dental benefits and resources available to help Members make and keep dental appointments. We encourage all Members to continue to go to the dentist for preventive care.

Last updated: 9/23/2026

What you need to know

Members benefits will continue. There are changes to certain services in how the benefits are covered including who qualifies and under what medically necessary conditions the services are covered. Dental Providers should work with Members to understand these changes. Members’ dentists continue to be required to submit for authorization for certain services. 
 
The changes to dental benefits are as follows, along with a glossary of terms after the FAQs section.
 
Please note: The hyperlinks in the table can be clicked on and will scroll down to definitions in the glossary.
Dental ServiceWhat's Changing
Preventive Care
Dentures
  • Coverage guidelines for partial and full dentures have been revised.
  • Rebasing of dentures is now covered once every 24 months.
Endodontic Procedures
  • Coverage guidelines for root canals have been revised.
  • Retreatment of root canals is now covered for adults who meet certain criteria.
Crowns
  • Crown replacement timeline has been extended from seven (7) to ten (10) years.
  • Coverage guidelines for crowns have been revised.
Orthodontic Procedures
  • Children (ages zero through twenty (0-20)) who do not qualify based on orthodontic scoring guidelines but have documentation from a licensed behavioral health provider who can attest to the child being in active care and orthodontia will support resolving the behavioral health condition may qualify.
Periodontic Procedures
  • Adults (over the age of twenty-one (21)) with certain medical diagnoses and treatable periodontal disease may now be eligible for periodontic therapy. Qualifying diagnosis and medical treatment include patients with Diabetes Type I and Type II, Heart Valve Disorders, Endocarditis, patients receiving certain chemotherapy and radiation for head, neck, and throat cancer, patients who are post-transplant, patients with End Stage Renal Disease, and patients with Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder(s).
Sedation
  • Coverage guidelines for IV Sedation and General Anesthesia (GA) have changed to include use for adults receiving specific dental procedures under certain circumstances.
  • Nitrous oxide is now covered for children and adults who have a documented a diagnosis of anxiety, behavioral health, cognitive disorder, or medical condition(s) which prevents the member from receiving care safely.
  • Not all patients qualify for sedation based on the dentist's determination.

FAQs

The Connecticut Department of Social Services has made these changes to meet revised Medicaid Dental Regulations.

These changes will occur on October 1, 2026.

Coverage for certain dental procedures have been updated to include expanded coverage based on the patient’s age or revised clinical guidelines or are new services.  For a list of changes, please see the What’s Changing table above the FAQs section. 

Please contact us at 1-855-CT-DENTAL (1-855-283-3682)

Glossary

Crowns

Tooth-shaped “caps” that cover a damaged or weak tooth. A crown protects the tooth and brings back its normal shape, size, and strength.

Dental Sealants

A thin coating painted onto the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (first and second molars). Sealants fill in the tiny grooves where food and germs get stuck, which helps prevent cavities. They are most often used for kids and teens.

Dentures

Full dentures replace all of your teeth on the top, bottom, or both. They rest on your gums and can be taken out for cleaning.

Partial dentures replace some missing teeth. They clip onto your remaining natural teeth to stay in place and can also be removed for cleaning.

Endodontic Procedure

Any dental treatment that focuses on the inside of a tooth, especially the pulp and the roots. A root canal is the most common example.

Nitrous Oxide

A gas you breathe in through a small mask over your nose, often called “laughing gas.” It helps you feel calm and relaxed during dental work, and it wears off quickly once the mask comes off. You stay awake the whole time.

Orthodontic Procedure

Treatment that straightens teeth or fixes the way your upper and lower teeth come together. Braces and retainers are common examples.

Orthodontic Scoring Guidelines

The rules HUSKY Health uses to decide if braces are covered. Your dentist or orthodontist checks your teeth and completes a tool called the Salzmann Scoring Index. The score reflects problems like missing, crowded, or crooked teeth, gaps, and how your top and bottom teeth fit together.

The points add up to a score. In Connecticut, you need 26 points or more to qualify for braces. If your score is lower, you may still qualify if you have another serious tooth or jaw problem. Members under 21 may also qualify under certain conditions.

Periodontal Disease

A serious infection of the gums and the tissues that support your teeth. It usually begins as gingivitis — red, swollen, or bleeding gums — and, if left untreated, can progress to damage the bone around your teeth, causing them to loosen or fall out.

Periodontal Procedure

Treatment that focuses on the gums and the bone that hold your teeth in place. This includes things like deep cleanings to treat gum disease.

Rebasing

Ways to fix a denture that no longer fits well. Rebasing replaces the whole base of the denture but keeps the same artificial teeth.

Endodontic Retreatment

A second root canal on a tooth that was treated before but did not heal correctly or became infected again. The dentist reopens the tooth, removes the old filling material, cleans the inside again, and seals it back up. This gives the tooth another chance to heal so it can be saved.

Root Canal

A treatment that saves a tooth when the soft tissue inside it (called the pulp) is infected or badly damaged. The dentist removes the infected tissue, cleans the inside of the tooth, and fills it to seal it up.

Sedation

Medicine that puts you into a very deep sleep during a dental procedure. You will not feel anything and cannot be easily woken up until the medicine wears off.

Moderate Intravenous (IV) Sedation is medicine given through a small tube in your vein that makes you very relaxed and drowsy. You are still awake enough to answer simple questions, but you may not remember much afterward.

Topical Fluoride

A treatment where fluoride is placed onto your teeth as a gel, foam, varnish, or rinse. Fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger and helps stop cavities from forming. It is a quick step often done at the end of a cleaning.

Resources

Below is a list of helpful resources that you can click on for more information.

Community Partner Login

Community Partner Toolkit

Refer a Client

CT DSS – HR 1 Community Partners Resource Page
Medicaid Matters CT