Frequently Asked Questions

We serve underserved communities, dental professionals, health organizations, policymakers, and advocates working to improve oral health equity.

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health launched in March 2021, pulling forward and expanding upon the strengths and history of the DentaQuest Foundation, DentaQuest Institute, and the nonprofit programs of the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement. 

We’d love to hear from you! Complete the form on the Contact Us page and someone from our team will get back to you within two business days.  

We encourage you to sign up for our suite of newsletters, including special interest newsletters dedicated to oral health advocacy and philanthropy. 

We also share news, resources, and opportunities on our social media channels: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

Please visit our Media page so see learn more about our spokespeople and complete the request form. Our communications team will review the request and be in touch to help secure the right representative.  

Thank you for your interest in our resources! To proceed, please complete the Contact Us form on our website. Be sure to include a link to the specific resource you wish to use and a brief description of how you intend to use it. 

You can explore collaboration opportunities by contacting us via the Partnerships page.

You can find open positions on the Careers page.

Organizations can apply for funding through our online grants management portal, Fluxx. Visit our Apply page to learn more about the application process.

You can find more information about the funding areas by visiting our grants page or by getting in touch with a member of the CareQuest Institute grants team. 

CareQuest Institute makes grants to nonprofit or not-for-profit organizations in the United States and US territories. The Institute does not make grants to for-profit organizations or individuals. 

No, you don’t need a full budget when submitting a concept. After any concept is approved, we collaborate with you on the full proposal and can clarify any budget questions.  

We are flexible and consider the scope of your work as well as its alignment with our strategic priorities.  

We ask all interested organizations to submit a concept in the grant application process. We review concepts regularly and encourage prospective applicants to contact a member of the grants team for more information about submitting a concept. 

CareQuest Institute does not make grants directly to individuals and does not support capital expenses, direct service, mobile vans, or payments for procedures.

Absolutely! We encourage all organizations to reach out to a member of the grants team to discuss the program or project for which you are seeking funding. 

OPEN, an initiative of CareQuest Institute, is a diverse network of individuals and entities who are taking on America’s oral health challenges so that everyone has a chance to thrive. OPEN members use their unique experiences, knowledge, and skills to lead network activities every year, creating collective energy that is driving large-scale change. Learn more about joining the network.  

Many of our educational offerings support ongoing professional development and provide opportunities to earn Continuing Education (CE) credits. CareQuest Institute is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider of oral health care education (webinars and self-paced courses) and a Nationally Approved PACE Program Provider for FAGD/MAGD credit (webinars only).  

No, the self-paced courses do not have prerequisites. Learners can access any of the available courses, at any time. 

Register for our free, live webinars or access recordings in our growing webinar library.

No, all continuing education offerings are available free of charge. 

Live webinars and self-paced online courses are eligible for continuing education (CE) credits. Recorded webinars are NOT eligible for CE credits. CareQuest Institute is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider of oral health care education and a Nationally Approved PACE Program Provider for FAGD/MAGD credit.  

To access a transcript of your completed learning activities and download eligible certificates, visit My Learning.  

Value-based care is a care delivery model in which providers are rewarded for quality health outcomes rather than the quantity of care delivered. In this system, quality and outcomes improve while costs remain the same (or fall). The healthier a person is, the fewer expensive (and often restorative and complicated) services they need. Learn more about value-based care. 

Minimally invasive care (MIC) in dentistry is focused on preventing and healing tooth decay without removing any tooth structures. MIC includes prevention, counseling, and painless treatments, such as fluorides, antimicrobials, diagnostic solutions, and therapeutic fillings and sealants that are brushed onto teeth. Learn more about MIC.

CareQuest Institute’s focus on medical-dental integration, an approach to care that combines dental and medical services to treat the whole person, centers on transforming systems of care through partnerships. Our aim is to improve whole-person health, particularly for underserved populations and individuals with chronic and complex needs. We advance this work by focusing on initiatives that promote connectivity through integrated care delivery models, the development of shared health data, and communication platforms. Learn more about medical-dental integration. 

Teledentistry — using telehealth systems and methodologies for oral health care — is a flexible, convenient way to connect patients and providers in different physical locations. There are four forms of teledentistry: live video (synchronous), store-and-forward (asynchronous), remote patient monitoring (RPM), and mobile health (mhealth). Learn more about telendentistry.  

Preventive dental care is essential to maintaining good oral health and keeping teeth and gums healthy. Preventive dentistry includes oral exams, teeth cleaning, procedures such as fluoride applications and sealants, education, and diagnostic procedures. 

Medicaid coverage varies by state. The Checker looks at coverage to better understand how a given state’s Medicaid adult dental benefits package compares to others — from no dental benefits to extensive benefits. It looks at coverage of specific procedures and services, including allowed frequency, in eight service categories. 

During pregnancy, oral health care is essential, yet often underutilized — especially for people enrolled in Medicaid. Poor oral health during pregnancy has been linked to adverse birth outcomes, including preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), preterm birth, and low-birth-weight infants. Visit the Pregnancy and Oral Health page to access key publications and a state-by-state dashboard of coverage.  

Decades of research have proven that, at optimal levels, fluoride is safe and plays a critical role in preventing tooth decay and promoting good oral health. Visit our Community Water Fluoridation page for more evidence and resources from CareQuest and industry leaders.