Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: The Case for Funding Oral Health Programming

Cosponsored with the Funders Oral Health Policy Group (FOHPG)

Although oral health is a barometer of overall health and crucial for total well-being nearly 74 million Americans do not have access to oral health care. Barriers to oral health care are driven by a diverse range of issues, including the oral health delivery system structure, dental provider shortages in underserved areas, lack of comprehensive Medicaid and Medicare dental benefits for low-income populations, and the historical separation of oral health care from traditional primary care.

Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and Funders Oral Health Policy Group (FOHPG) held a one-day meeting in Memphis, Tennessee about philanthropy’s role in addressing oral health equity. This interactive meeting placed oral health in the larger context of health equity, and focused on identifying holistic, community-centered strategies to address oral health disparities, and created locally representative workforces to improve care for affected populations. Funders left equipped with a framework to fund oral health programming or support oral health efforts in their primary areas of influence.

Support for this meeting was provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Final Agenda

Related Content

• Oral Health Strategy Session Presentation Slideshow – PDF document, 8976 KB
• Tennessee State Oral Health Plan Executive Summary 2017 – PDF document, 102 KB
• FOHPG Leading Change In Oral Health Policy and Systems Slideshow – PDF document, 1252 KB