The Pew Center on the States has given Maine a grade of "B" for its efforts to provide children with adequate dental care.  The policy advocacy group graded all fifty states on eight policy benchmarks it says have been proven to lead to better dental care for children.

The organization says Maine met five of the eight benchmarks, including access to fluoridated water and dental sealant programs, both of which have been proven to reduce cavaties, Pew says. The state is also doing well is encouraging early preventive care and tracking data on children's dental health.

But Pew says only 37 percent of Maine kids on Medicaid received any dental care in 2007, less than the national average, and is not doing enough to expand the number of qualified dental providers who can provide primary dental care for children.

Eight other states received a grade of "B":  Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas and Washington. Only six states were awarded an "A" grade:  Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Carolina. To view Maine's report card, click here.