Below are resources related to access for oral health providers who take Medicaid or sliding fee. In this section, you will also find information about the connection of oral health and overall health and well-being. There are also resources below for more education/training to help providers and other healthcare professionals address oral health in their practices. CEU are available for many healthcare professionals with some of the training opportunities below.
Oral health is vital to our overall health. It affects our ability to talk, eat healthy foods, do our job, learn at school, and socialize with others. Oral health can impact your quality of life in every way.
Poor oral health can have a major impact on other diseases and conditions that you may have. For example, people with poor oral health may have more trouble managing their diabetes or high blood pressure. In addition, people with certain chronic diseases are more likely to have serious gum disease that can lead to tooth loss.
Ohio's Oral Health Program provides more information about poor oral health and future health outcomes. It is a great resource if you want to know more about how poor oral health implications across the continuum of care (pregnancy, childhood, adulthood, and later in life).
Not every community in Ohio has access to a Safety Net Dental Provider. Safety net clinics are usually located in areas that don’t have enough dentists to serve people with lower incomes; these areas are called Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. The Ohio Department of Health provides funding to several of Ohio's safety net dental clinics to help offset the cost of uncompensated care. Funding supports dental services for Ohioans who have low incomes and are uninsured for dental care.
For the current list of Ohio Safety Net clinics, click here. You will need to download the current list. If your patient wants more information about the Safety Net Dental Program, click here. This also contains the current list of providers and will need to be downloaded for the most recent version.
One training resource is Smiles for Life. This is a comprehensive education site that offers CEUs for healthcare professionals to learn what they need to address oral health concerns in their practice. There are training courses for children, older adults, pregnancy, etc.
Other resources for more information are:
Ohio's Oral Health Program Provider Page
Health Resources and Services Administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention