In the News

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit which advocates for fluoridation, used Medicaid claims data and survey responses to predict the outcomes if the five states — Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma — stopped adding fluoride to water systems. Florida has already banned it; the other states have legislation in the...

Policy plays a critical role in expanding access to oral health care. At CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, that work is a key part of the organization’s mission to improve oral health. Melissa Burroughs, the institute’s senior director of public policy, spoke with Dental Bite about the biggest issues shaping oral health policy in 2026. Read...

Children are increasingly visiting hospital emergency departments nationwide for dental issues amid shrinking access to pediatric dental care, KFF Health News reported March 10. Five notes: 1. ED visits for dental issues unrelated to physical trauma increased by 57.9% among children 14 and under, according to a 2025 report from CareQuest...

Eight-year-old Jonah woke up one May morning with a swollen face and a toothache. He refused the pain medication that his mom, Geneva Reynolds, tried to give him. He didn’t sleep or eat and cried constantly. Within a few days, Reynolds became so desperate that she and her husband had to physically restrain Jonah, dumping pain medication down...

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health®, a national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, today announced a new partnership with Innovaccer, a leading health care AI company, to integrate medical and dental data. The collaboration aims to help providers, payers, and policymakers better...

Several DSOs have invested in AI technology in recent months to boost patient care and practice efficiency. Here are 12 notable dental technology updates since Jan. 28: 1. The American Dental Association asked that federal investment and support be provided to help boost small and rural practices’ adoption of artificial intelligence tools. 2....

Looming Medicaid cuts could reverse progress that has been made to expand access to dental care in the U.S., healthcare leaders are warning. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to lead to a decrease in Medicaid spending by nearly $1 trillion over the next 10 years. The bill has been criticized by many organizations, with many leaders...

Dental care stakeholders are mixed over the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back a Biden-era rule allowing states to add adult dental as an Essential Health Benefit: Health care advocates who worked hard to get the option in place, the American Dental Association and the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, are disappointed the state...

Here are six emerging trends for dental leaders to know regarding artificial intelligence, staffing, insurance and patient care: 1. AI adoption: Several DSOs have added AI technology in recent weeks to enhance patient care and improve operational efficiency, including DECA Dental Group, Great Expressions Dental Centers and Aspen Dental. DSO...

Dental insurance strategists are trying to figure out how to create products that can serve people who work in a post-group health world. Product designers are thinking about how an increase in the number of people who use Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement plans and other types of “cash for coverage” health plans might...

The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health has partnered with Innovaccer to integrate medical and dental data and better understand the effects of oral health on overall health outcomes. Using Innovaccer’s Humbi platform, the organizations will pair medical and dental claims with clinical data to create a more complete view of patient health. The...

A U.S.-based oral health nonprofit is seeking to bridge the long-standing divide between medical and dental data using artificial intelligence. CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a national nonprofit focused on advancing a more accessible and integrated oral health system, announced Tuesday it has partnered with health-care AI company...