finding dental care

Finding Dental Care

The Bureau of Oral Health Services does not run dental clinics throughout the state, but provides funding to selected agencies to provide dental care. Below is a listing of ways you may be able to find dental care for you and your family.

Dental Treatment Programs in Ohio (also known as Safety Net Clinics)

These programs provide dental treatment services and generally are operated by local health departments, community health centers, hospitals and other organizations within a community. These programs typically serve patients covered by Medicaid and offer sliding fee schedules or reduced fees.

To see a list of these dental programs in your county, visit Safety Nets and click on the county of interest. This will take you to a drop-down menu of different health care providers and facilities. Selecting the "Dental Care Program" option will give you a list of dental care safety net programs in that county, including their addresses and phone numbers.

OPTIONS

Dental OPTIONS (Ohio Partnership To Improve Oral health through access to Needed Services) is a program offered by the Ohio Department of Health in partnership with the Ohio Dental Association. OPTIONS helps uninsured Ohioans with special health care needs and/or financial barriers obtain dental care. After eligibility is determined, patients are matched with volunteer OPTIONS dentists who have agreed to provide dental care at reduced fees.

To find out how to obtain dental care through this program, visit OPTIONS.

Healthy Start/Healthy Families

Children (up to age 19) and pregnant women can get free & low cost dental care coverage through Healthy Start/Healthy Families, Ohio's Medicaid program administered through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). In addition to dental care, many other health care services such as doctor visits, prescriptions, hospital care and immunizations are covered.

To apply for Healthy Start/Healthy Families, visit the ODJFS Web site, and select the "Ohio Health Plans/Medicaid" option under "Popular Sites". Clicking on the "Consumers" option on this page will enable you to access information about the Healthy Start/Healthy Families program, including directions on how to apply.