A Missouri dentist is working to restore smiles to veterans for free. In a new article, featuring stats from a CareQuest report, he emphasizes the importance of veteran oral health.

Read the article and watch the video on KSHB-TV.

Uncertainty? Yes, plenty of that. Apprehension? A bit. Anxiety? There was some of that too. None of those words, though, sum up the mood, feeling, and spirit of the 2025 National Oral Health Conference (NOHC). 

The word that does? Resilience. 

(Boston, MA) – CareQuest Institute for Oral Health®, a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, issued a statement today regarding US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement that the EPA, which oversees water quality, will also "take action." 

The recent dismantling of the CDC Division of Oral Health has sent shockwaves through the dental community, raising concerns about the future of dental public health efforts and the prioritization of oral health at the federal level. 

Our Senior Director of Public Policy, Melissa Burroughs, and other industry leaders gave their reactions in Becker's Dental + DSO Review. 

Two advocates for veteran care in Michigan are tackling the critical gap in veterans’ dental care, offering free clinics through grants and sustainable community programs. 

A 2022 report from the American Institute of Dental Public Health and CareQuest Institute highlights the disparities rural veterans face in accessing dental care.

Read the full article in Flintside.

For Jessica Robertson, DMD, relocating from Southern California to rural Arizona has taken some adjusting. 

“Moving to a small town was quite different,” she says, “not having a mall just around the corner or the amusement park an hour away.” 

Some of the clinics where she provides care are even farther. 

For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a trip to the dental office can be overwhelming. 

A new pilot program at Tufts Dental Facilities, a grantee of CareQuest Institute, is breaking barriers with home visits and telehealth, making dental care more accessible and personalized.

Read the full article in Decisions in Dentistry here.

In this episode of The Burleson Box, Dustin Burleson, DDS, welcomes Erinne Kennedy, DMD, MPH, MMSc, Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Integrated Learning at Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine. Kennedy shares her fascinating journey into dentistry, which was heavily influenced by her family of dental professionals and her passion for public health. 

A new article in The Islands’ Sounder highlights Jessica Dubek, DDS, the founder of DentALL, who travels around Western Washington providing free dental services. 

Dubek and her team are now operating the Community Dental Clinic on Orcas Island.