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H H S Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Maternal and Child Health

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Oral Health

HRSA supports State and community oral health program demonstrations and systems-building efforts focused on  community and school-based sealant programs, integration of public and private sector oral health services, and collaborative strategies that increase access to oral health services for underserved children and their families.

At Equity and Access for Mothers and Children (PDF - 11 MB), a workshop held in 1989, participants urged HRSA to play a greater leadership role in addressing the oral health needs of children and their families, and serve as the national leader for the transfer of information regarding women and children’s oral needs and services between state MCH programs, communities, academia and the nation in general.  

It remains HRSA's intent to increase awareness of the prevalence of oral disease in the MCH population that exist within our nation and help augment and stabilize safety-net programs, most especially Title V programs, in their ongoing endeavors to address oral health disparities and reduce access barriers to oral health services for the MCH population

Current Projects

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Policy Center promotes the understanding of effective policy options to address ongoing disparities in children’s oral health. A collaborative, 3-year effort, the center focuses on engaging policymakers and stakeholders to improve maternal and child oral health policies and practices, promote new and effective oral health policies, and expand and diversify the community of individuals and organizations promoting maternal and child oral health.

Partnership for State Oral Health Leadership supports national membership organizations  in the development and implementation of State and local comprehensive oral health care programs and policies. Includes the Building an Oral Health in Medicine Model Curriculum  and Oral Health Financing of State Medicaid and CHIP Programs projects.

School-Based Comprehensive Oral Health Services, a pilot project initiated in September 2011, integrates comprehensive oral health services into school-based health centers to decrease oral health disparities among children and adolescents from low-income families.