State-based oral health champions integrating oral health into primary care training nationwide.

Access to oral health care remains a persistent barrier for underserved populations. Each year, nearly 111 million Americans do not see a dentist but do visit a medical provider, creating an important opportunity for primary care teams to help identify oral health needs, provide prevention and education, and connect patients to dental care. Research conducted by the Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health (CIPCOH) has demonstrated that most primary care training programs include only 1-3 hours of oral health content in their curricula, often lack formal relationships with dental schools or dental hygiene programs, and report that their graduates do not feel confident addressing oral health needs. Importantly, the presence of oral health champions in these programs is associated with greater inclusion of oral health content, greater satisfaction with graduates’ competence in oral health, and a higher likelihood of formal relationships with dental programs.

In the absence of a formal accreditation mandate, mission-driven champions can play an important role in integrating oral health into primary care training. The 100 Million Mouths Campaign (100MMC) was created to address this gap by preparing state-based oral health champions who support the integration of oral health into primary care training programs. Through this champion model, 100MMC aims to create a ripple effect: champions engage primary care programs, programs train learners, and those learners carry oral health knowledge and skills into clinical practice and share them with colleagues. This approach is especially important in safety-net settings, where primary care providers often serve patients who face the greatest barriers to dental care.

Since its launch in 2020, 100MMC has expanded to 35 states with 35 oral health champions representing diverse disciplines, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, and dental therapists. To date, the campaign has engaged 160 primary care training programs and helped train more than 14,000 learners across disciplines, including medical and osteopathic students, family medicine residents, pediatric residents, internal medicine residents, nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students, and others. Through this work, 100MMC promotes sustainable curricular change, interprofessional partnerships, and improved oral health equity.

Funding Statement

Current funding for the 100MMC comes from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Colgate-Palmolive Company; Arcora Foundation; Arkansas Children’s Foundation; Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation; Delta Dental Foundation of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana; Delta Dental of Idaho; Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation; Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation; Delta Dental of Kentucky; Delta Dental South Dakota Foundation; Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey; and the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation.

Key sources

1. 1Ticku S, Savageau JA, Riedy CA, Harvan RA, Silk H. 100 Million Mouths Campaign: Creating a Pilot Program to Advance Oral Health Equity. Ann Fam Med. 2023 02; 21(Suppl 2):S86-S91.
2. 2Riedy CA, Haque M, Ticku S. All in for Integration: Oral Health in Interprofessional Education and Training. JDR Clin Trans Res. 2025 Jul; 10(1_suppl):33S-36S.
3. 3Ticku S, Savageau JA, Harvan RA, Silk H, Isong I, Glicken AD, Dolce MC, Riedy CA. Primary Care and Oral Health Integration: Comparing Training Across Disciplines. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2020; 31(4S):344-359.
4. 4Website: https://www.hsdm.harvard.edu/100-million-mouths-campaign