The most widely used oral-health curriculum in the U.S., integrating oral health into primary care education.

Smiles for Life (SFL) is an evidence-based oral-health curriculum designed to support the integration of oral health into primary care education and practice. SFL serves a broad interprofessional audience of primary care providers, nurses, medical assistants, dental professionals, pharmacists, midwives, community health workers, and educators. SFL offers online courses, downloadable modules, interactive games, podcasts, educator resources, and practice-integration tools to equip health care professionals to competently address oral health needs across the lifespan.

The curriculum was developed in 2005 by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Oral Health to address the historic gap between medicine and dentistry and lack of primary care provider training in oral–systemic health connections, dental caries identification and prevention, acute dental problem management, and oral health counseling during pregnancy and aging.

Evidence from SFL’s implementation and national adoption demonstrates:

• Widespread national uptake across medical, nursing, PA, NP schools and residency programs, indicating strong acceptance and integration into training.
• Global reach, including adapted Global Oral Health, Front Line Health Worker modules, and Canadian modules, supporting international dissemination.
• Endorsement by 24 national and international organizations.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2026 designation of SFL modules to fulfill the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) oral health improvement activity requirement, demonstrating federal acknowledgment of oral health as essential to whole-person care.
• Improved Practice and Patient Outcomes: Evaluations show that SFL training reinforces the importance of oral health in overall well-being and helps reduce barriers to incorporating oral health services into the broader health care system.
• Most widely used oral-health curriculum in the U.S: In 2025, SFL website recorded 5,160 unique visits per week, totaling 269,000 sessions and SFL users completed a total of 64,190 courses for CE credit. SFL has been used to train over a half million health care professionals across all U.S. states and territories and over 200 countries.

For over two decades, SFL has equipped health care professionals across disciplines with the knowledge and tools necessary to integrate oral health into everyday practice.

Website: www.smilesforlifeoralhealth.org