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Early on in his 23-year tenure with the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD), Executive Director Dennis Borel noticed that some of his colleagues and people he socialized with who had disabilities had problems with their oral health. “I used to see a lot of my folks with missing teeth, sometimes no teeth, broken teeth, stained, bad shape,” Borel said.

By Stacey Auger, MPH, policy consultant, CareQuest Institute

Throughout her career, Gretchen Henson, DDS, has provided personalized prevention recommendations for patients, knowing that they all have different backgrounds and lifestyles. “I spend so much of my appointment trying to figure out what their home life looks like, so we can tailor a plan for them,” Henson says.

Early childhood caries remains the most common, preventable infectious disease among children in the United States. Preventing them is not always easy, though.

It’s no secret that many people confront chronic illnesses, from heart disease to dementia, as they get older. We often hear about the importance of regular exercise and well-balanced diets to help us stave off these illnesses and stay healthy as we enter our seventh, eighth, and ninth decades.

Anid Naranjo, EDDA, a community dental health coordinator (CDHC) at Kids In Need of Dentistry (KIND), sees a lot of people in need of oral health care in Colorado. Sometimes, she can’t believe her eyes. “It was a young family that traveled through the jungle,” says Naranjo. “It just broke my heart to see.” Naranjo was able to help the family get to a clinic and have a doctor look them over.

In partnership with thought leaders, health care providers, patients, and local, state, and federal stakeholders, CareQuest Institute of Oral Health champions oral health transformation. Each day is filled with mission-driven, meaningful initiatives that aim to create an oral health system that is accessible, equitable, and integrated. Who leads that work from inside the virtual walls of CareQuest Institute? And why are they so invested in the mission?

Without regular, preventive dental care, early tooth decay or gum disease can worsen, hurting our overall health and increasing treatment costs. But many people can’t access the preventive services they need.

By Stacey Auger, MPH, policy consultant, CareQuest Institute

When patients fill out a form at a dentist’s or doctor’s office, do they see themselves represented? For individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or have other sexual orientations or gender identities (LGBTQ+), the answer can sometimes be a hard “no.” And it’s an example of a larger problem in oral health: Structural bias and stigma around gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation can deepen LGBTQ+ oral health inequity.