Gov. Mike DeWine announced Nov. 2 that Ohio will invest more than $17 million to launch OhioDENTAL, a program that will bring dental services directly into schools.
The dental funding is part of more than $55 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program awards that also cover a statewide vision program and school-based health centers. Ohio lags other states in the share of children who receive preventive dental visits, according to the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health. The state cited the cost of care and a lack of providers as barriers for rural families.
OhioDENTAL follows the model of the state’s OhioSEE vision program. Providers will use mobile dental vehicles or temporary school clinics to deliver comprehensive dental services and connect patients to brick-and-mortar clinics.
The funding will also pay for training primary care professionals to incorporate oral health assessments, treatments and dental referrals. Additionally, a new collaborative will work to increase the number of Ohio dentists who accept Medicaid, according to a news release from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
