Mission
The mission of the Nevada Oral Health Program is to protect, promote, and improve the oral health of Nevadans.
The Oral Health Program and its partners collaborate to promote optimal oral health for Nevadans across the lifespan. Current and proposed oral health initiatives include:
- Identifying and supporting opportunities for inter-discipline oral health education.
- Establishing sustainable oral health objectives that focus on pregnant women, infants and young children.
- Ensuring the availability of dental services for Medicaid and Nevada Check-up eligible children.
- Increasing the availability of education regarding oral disease prevention, as well as access to oral health services for Nevadans living with disabilities.
- Ensuring oral health is integrated into chronic disease prevention, education and self-managing disease programs.
- Improving quality, availability and relevance of oral health data and surveillance material.
- Improving oral health for all adults, including the older adult population.
- Leveraging in-state opportunities for infrastructure and policy improvement and development.
- Developing sustainable funding sources for the State Oral Health Program and community oral disease prevention programs.
2022-2032 Nevada Oral Health State Plan
The most common oral diseases and conditions can be prevented. Safe and effective methods are available to reduce the incidence of oral diseases and disparities and increase quality of life.
The 2022-2032 Nevada Oral Health State Plan is designed to:
- Increase the understanding that Oral Health Is Health;
- Provide a roadmap to improve oral health across the state by reducing the burden of oral disease with a focus on health disparities and underserved populations; and
- Identify objectives and strategies for advancing oral health priorities at the state and local level
The priority areas, objectives and strategies listed in the state plan were developed in partnership with the Oral Health Program, AC4OH Committee, key stakeholder interviews, and informed by the ASTDD Guidelines for State and Territorial Oral Health Programs which describe best practices to address gaps and needs.
In addition, the plan aligns with Healthy People 2030 Oral Health Objectives, the core oral health goal for 2030 is: "Improve oral health by increasing access to oral health care, including preventive services." This goal will be addressed through the following state oral health plan objectives and strategies: Policy and Infrastructure, Prevention and Screening, Oral Health Care Access and Quality and Workforce Capacity.
Download the report by clicking on the link below.
2022-2032 Nevada Oral Health Strategic Plan
Programs
A collaborative work group to prevent cavities and gum disease in pregnant women, infants and young children.
- Community Water Fluoridation
- Fluoride Varnish
- Fluoride Supplements
This section of the website talks about the dental and oral health services available for children enrolled in Nevada Medicaid and/or Nevada Check-Up. In addition, topics on collaboration between the State Oral Health Programs and State Medicaid-CHIP Oral Health Programs are shared.
The Healthy Mouth and Healthy Body Connection
Every Smile Matters is designed to increase awareness for Nevadans with intellectual and development disabilities (ID/DD) of the importance of oral healthcare as an integral part of overall health. By engaging and connecting dental and medical providers, people with disabilities and their families/caregivers, community-based organizations, community leaders, advocates, policy makers and key stakeholders, together we can improve outcomes, increase quality of life and improve access to culturally competent oral health care for Nevadans with ID/DD.
Every Smile Matters
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Program Activities and Updates
Statewide 3rd grade Oral Health Assessment. The Nevada Oral Health Program is conducting a statewide oral health assessment of 3rd grade students. The oral health program is collecting data about the dental health of Nevada's children by screening third graders for tooth decay, sealants, and urgency of need. The data helps provide evidence for planning targeted prevention efforts. So far, the Nevada Oral Health Program has screened children in Washoe, Elko, Nye, Humboldt, Churchill and Elko counties. We have partnered with TMCC's dental hygiene program and UNLV's School of Dental Medicine to screen students in Washoe, Clark and Nye counties. This project will be complete by early 2024 and a report on the findings will be available by May 2024.
School Based Sealant Grant Program Nevada Medicaid is making $2.6 million available for existing and start-up school-based dental health programs to increase the number of Nevada’s school-age children and youth with dental sealants, improving their dental health. The grant funding is available for programs targeting school-age children and youth throughout the state with an emphasis on those living in rural communities and dental health professional shortage areas.