Oral Health Network of Missouri

The Missouri Oral Health Network was born out of the activities of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health Access. The Coalition, organized in 1999 at the request of the Oral Health Program of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Dental Association, is sponsored by Missouri Coalition for Primary Health Care (MPCA).

The Coalition researched oral health access and disparities facing low-income and/or uninsured Missourians and in 2001 outlined a list of oral health delivery system recommendations, which were published in May 2002, and included:

Recruitment/retention.
Finance/reimbursement.
Education and Prevention.
Infrastructure.

In response to the fourth recommendation the Missouri Oral Health Network was formed in March 2003. The Network collaborators are safety net organizations that provide services to people regardless of their ability to pay. Currently, Network consists of all seventeen Section 330 funded community health centers in the state.

Mission: To improve access to and reduce disparities in the delivery of oral health clinical and preventive services to all persons regardless of their ability to pay.