Oral Health in Rhode Island

Oral health is a critical but overlooked component of overall health and well-being among children and adults. Dental disease restricts activities in school, work, and home and often significantly diminishes the quality of life for many children, especially those who are low-income or uninsured.

Rhode Island has made tremendous progress in improving access to oral health care for children in Rhode Island over the past decade. Continued investments in oral health, including expanded access to dental care, will help promote lifelong overall health for Rhode Island's children.

Poor oral health has immediate and significant negative impacts on children’s general health, school attendance and academic achievement. Untreated dental disease can lead to eating, sleeping, speaking and learning problems in children and adolescents. This affects a child’s social interactions, general health and quality of life. 

Oral health problems can largely be prevented through a combination of access to timely dental care, access to fluoridated water systems and topical fluoride treatments, healthy nutrition and habits, and at-home care.

Our Publications

Factbook Indicators

• Access to Dental Care

Issue Briefs

• Access to Oral Health Care for Children in Rhode Island, September 2011 
  This report outlines oral health and the importance of dental care for children in Rhode Island. It includes an overview of dental coverage for children with Medicaid/RIte Smiles, a description of dental services available and recommendations for increasing access. 

Special Publications

• #Smilestones Impact Report - Fall 2017
  At TeethFirst!, we believe that early dental visits put children on a path to healthy smiles for a lifetime, and that it’s never too soon for dentists and families to team up – making a child’s first teeth a priority from the start. We believe that great healthcare requires a team of people working together to keep our little ones healthy. To reach parents and families, TeethFirst! developed #Smilestones, a bilingual PSA and awareness campaign cleverly packaged as a photo contest on social media. The goal was to boost awareness of TeethFirst! as a resource, and highlight the importance of early childhood oral health by encouraging parents and families to share pictures of their children practicing healthy dental habits.
  
  As a result, #Smilestones posts were viewed over 95,000 times in Rhode Island and resulted in a 470% increase of web traffic to the TeethFirst! website. For more, please see the full #Smilestones Impact Report.
• Dental Insurance for Children and Families, 2015
• Pediatric Dental Coverage Options: Rhode Island's Choices Under the Affordable Care Act, December 2013
• Pediatric Dental Essential Health Benefit: RI’s Choices Under the ACA, December 2013
• RIte Smiles Results, November 2011  
  RIte Smiles is Rhode Island’s managed oral health program for children with Medicaid coverage. This report provides an overview of RIte Smiles results and outcomes, 5 years after the program was launched.
• The Dental Safety Net in Rhode Island, May 2011

Related Rhode Island KIDS COUNT TV Shows

• October 2013 - Dr. Shreekrishna Akilesh, DMD of St. Joseph Health Services Pediatric Dental Center and Gwen Dominick, RDH of the RI Dental Hygienists' Association  joined host Jill Beckwith to discuss early childhood dental visits, at-home dental care for children, and the TeethFirst! initiative.

Related Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Resources

• Health Coverage
• Health Issues
• Health & Dental Legislation 

Additional Resources

Rhode Island

• HealthSource RI is Rhode Island's online health insurance marketplace. Just one application allows state residents to find out how they can qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage and immediately enroll in a health and dental plan that's right for them.
• The Rhode Island Dental Association is a professional organization of Rhode Island dentists.
• The Rhode Island Oral Health Commission has been the foundation of many efforts to improve oral health in Rhode Island over the past decade. Members of the Commission include private practitioners, safety net providers, community organizations, state agencies, insurers, and other oral health advocates. The Rhode Island Oral Health Commission meets quarterly. Meetings are open and all are welcome to attend.
• The Rhode Island Department of Health Oral Health Program focuses on prevention of oral disease through assurance of state-level oral health and public health leadership, documentation of the burden of oral disease in Rhode Island, and collaboration with statewide partners and the Rhode Island Oral Health Commission.
• RIte Smiles is Rhode Island’s managed oral health program for children with Medicaid coverage.

National

• Annie E. Casey Foundation National Data Center – Dental Health Indicators
  Rhode Island KIDS COUNT contributes data to the national KIDS COUNT Data Center, which is managed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.The national KIDS COUNT Data Center connects you to over four million data points about the well-being of children and families in each state and across the country. You can easily access hundreds of indicators related to health, education, employment and income, child welfare, and many other topics. The Data Center is free and available to all.
• The American Dental Association is the nation's largest dental association and is the leading source of oral health related information for dentists and their patients.
• The Children's Dental Health Project works to improve children's oral health and expand access to quality dental care.
• The DentaQuest Foundation was established in 2000. The Foundation's mission is to improve the oral health of all. The Foundation collaborates with partners in communities across the United States, connecting key stakeholders, raising awareness, and supporting solutions.
• The National Association of Dental Plans is the largest non-profit, national trade association focused exclusively on the entire dental benefits industry.