1608-12429

Missouri: This investment supports the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH) to continue to lead a network of oral health stakeholders dedicated to improving the oral health of all Missourians through public policy and public awareness. Specifically, MCOH and its network will work on the following five goals: 1) increasing awareness of oral health policy as a salient issue in Missouri; 2) continuing implementation of newly established adult dental benefits through Missouri Medicaid; 3) increasing access to dental care by supporting the development of an oral health system that has the capacity to meet the needs of the Missourians who now have dental coverage; 4) increasing MCOH network’s engagement in oral health policy and advocacy; and 5) expanding MCOH’s network of oral health advocates, partners, and other stakeholders engaged collectively in improving oral health of all Missourians. The initiative will focus on ensuring that oral health is a key component of Missouri’s health policy and improving the overall system of services, supports, and context impacting the oral health of Missourians. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of mandatory inclusion of an adult dental benefit in publicly-funded health insurance and the target that at least 30 states have a comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefit, and no states that currently have a Medicaid adult dental benefit roll back or eliminate that coverage. $106,682 will support personnel time, travel, and meeting expenses associated with implementation of this work.