State health policymakers know oral health is an essential component of overall health and well-being, but state Medicaid programs face increasing costs and growing demands. Many of their enrollees struggle with high-cost, chronic conditions – often linked to oral health issues.

To explore possible approaches to improve oral health care, NASHP interviewed key Medicaid officials from Alabama, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington State about integrating oral health into Medicaid health homes or other chronic condition payment or delivery models.

In this new report, supported by the DentaQuest Foundation, state leaders recommend first steps to incorporating oral health, such as sharing Medicaid health home members’ dental data with both dental and medical providers and including oral health questions in health home screening tools.

Read or download State Strategies to Incorporate Oral Health into Medicaid Payment and Delivery Models for Chronic or High-Cost Medical Conditions