The purpose of the RI OHAP is to increase access to primary and preventive dental services for children and families covered by Medicaid and for Rhode Islanders underserved for dental care. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the Center for Health Care Strategies, it is a partnership between the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.

The three main components of the RI OHAP are:

1. Supporting community-based efforts to increase access to dental care in underserved areas through the Oral Health Access Grant Program.
The Oral Health Access Action Grant Program coordinated by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT and The Rhode Island Foundation, distributed grants that will:

• Increase the supply of dental professionals in Rhode Island.
• Increase the service capacity of dental safety net providers.
• Establish school-based dental programs in under-served communities.

2. Engaging policy makers and the public around the issues regarding access to oral health care for Rhode Island’s children.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT regularly convenes meetings to discuss issues and develop strategies to improve access to care. We provide educational information to state legislators, agency staff, and advocates regarding best practices from other states and advocate for the adequate funding of children’s dental health services in Rhode Island. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT also has developed resources such as a listing of dental providers that accept Medical Assistance, a calendar of dental-related events, and description of groups that are addressing dental issues in the state.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT’s Issue Brief on Access to Dental Care for Children in Rhode Island was released on October 21, 2004, at a roundtable event that featured a key note speech by Burton Edelstein, DDS, MPH, Founding Director of the national Children’s Dental Health Project in Washington, DC. More than 60 people attended the event, during which concrete action steps that Rhode Island can take to improve access to dental care were outlined.

3. Restructuring the Medicaid dental benefit to improve access to dental care with emphasis on preventive and primary dental care.
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) is developing options for a Dental Benefits Manager (DBM) model that would improve access to oral health care for children enrolled in Rite Care. A subgroup of the Oral Health Access Project’s Advisory Committee has advised DHS throughout this process.

Closing the Gap: Improving Access to Dental Care in Rhode Island highlights progress made in dental care access during the Rhode Island Oral Health Access Project and the work that remains to be done to increase access to dental care for children, the elderly, and other Rhode Islanders who lack access to dental services. The report was released in February 2006 by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, in collaboration with The Rhode Island Foundation and the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.