Gov. Mike DeWine first announced the Ohio Children’s Dental Services Pilot Program during his 2025 State of the State Address on March 12.
In Ohio, a new program supported by Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health is set to provide dental services to some children. This initiative, as explained by DeWine and ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, involves a pilot program designed to enhance the dental health of school-age children in underprivileged areas across the state.
Gov. Mike DeWine first announced the Ohio Children’s Dental Services Pilot Program during his 2025 State of the State Address on March 12.
During his statement, DeWine emphasized the impact of poor dental health on a child’s daily life, highlighting how it can affect basic activities like eating, sleeping, and communicating. He pointed out that many children in Ohio are dealing with untreated dental issues that can persist into adulthood, underscoring the need to support these children.
“Poor dental health can make it hard for a child to eat, sleep, or even talk – let alone learn,” DeWine said during his address. “It’s clear that many Ohio children have untreated, serious dental problems that follow them into adulthood. We must step up for these children.”
According to DeWine’s executive budget proposal, the pilot program would begin in nine counties that lack “safety net dental clinics,” which are nonprofit dental facilities that provide care to low-income families.
Counties in the pilot include:
- Clinton County
- Crawford County
- Gallia County
- Highland County
- Hocking County
- Monroe County
- Noble County
- Paulding County
- Washington County
Nearly two-thirds of school-age kids on Medicaid did not have a single dental visit throughout all of 2023. Poor dental health can have negative impacts ranging from struggling with focus and socializing less to advanced gum disease later in life.
ODH, healthcare providers and school districts would partner to provide screenings, preventative care and treatment through the program.
“Unlike vision screenings, Ohio does not require dental screenings in schools, and too many of our children are not receiving this essential care,” Vanderhoff said. “Untreated oral health conditions can lead to more serious health issues and even costly emergency department visits. This program will help improve our children’s health in some of the most underserved areas of the state.”
If approved by the General Assembly, the pilot program could provide dental care for up to 12,000 children in the nine high-need counties who did not see a dentist in the past year, according to ODH.
