Oral Health Access Overview
Your mouth is a window into your overall health. Oral health affects — and is affected by — chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory illness. Yet too many Virginians still face significant barriers to accessing dental care: high costs, too few providers, and coverage gaps that leave millions without the care they need.
Virginia Health Catalyst works to change that. We advance innovative, equitable approaches to expand access, improve outcomes, and protect critical coverage like Medicaid dental benefits — because oral health is not a luxury. It is part of comprehensive, whole-person health care.
The numbers make the need clear:
1 in 3 Virginians does not have dental coverage
73% of Virginia localities are designated dental health professional shortage areas
Only 27% of Virginia dentists treat Medicaid members
We believe these gaps are not inevitable. They are the result of policies and systems that can — and must — change.
Solutions
Our oral health solutions span direct program support, innovation, and policy advocacy.
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Children who miss school due to dental pain are not thriving — and the communities that need oral health services most are often the farthest from dental offices. Teledentistry changes that by bringing care into the places where children already are: schools.
Through our ongoing Learning Collaborative, safety-net clinics partner with schools to design and implement school-based teledentistry programs that expand access, reduce barriers, and improve both health and educational outcomes. Participating teams gain practical skills, resources, and workflows to build strong, sustainable programs. The current cohort runs through August 2026.
Interested in joining a future cohort? Contact us.
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Coming August 2026
Catalyst is developing a hands-on implementation guide for teams building and sustaining school-based teledentistry programs. Drawing on real-world experience from our Learning Collaborative, the Playbook will offer actionable tools, strategies, and insights for school and clinic partners.
To get notified at launch. Fill out this form
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Coming October 2026
Catalyst is developing a comprehensive statewide database of school-based oral health programs in Virginia to better understand the landscape of care: where services are being delivered, which models are working, and where gaps remain. Findings will be publicly available in October 2026.
Clinics providing dental care in school settings can submit their programs for inclusion by filling out this form.
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Catalyst promotes place-based models of care — especially school-based programs — as effective, equitable ways to reach communities. We provide education, resources, and hands-on technical assistance to clinics, schools, and partners who are designing or strengthening programs.
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For Virginians who rely on Medicaid or community health clinics for their dental care, finding affordable, quality care can still be a challenge. Catalyst works to ensure that safety-net dental care is accessible, navigable, and continuously improved.
This includes advocating for Virginia’s adult Medicaid dental benefit and working to protect it from harmful cuts like annual coverage caps. It also includes maintaining up-to-date information on how to find a dental provider in Virginia.
