Oral Health

The Oral Health Program partners with other County of San Diego departments and community partners to achieve our mission to support the oral health of people of San Diego County throughout their lifespans.

The 2017-2025 Oral Health Strategic Plan has two goals:

  • Reduce the incidence of oral disease among children of San Diego County
  • Reduce the incidence of oral disease among adults of San Diego County

These two goals will be achieved through a variety of activities:

  • Work in collaboration with Public Health Services Oral Health Program to support education, trainings, and the promotion of preventive services to improve the oral health of San Diego communities. 
  • San Diego County Oral Health Coalition whose members include community-based partners and organizations and mission is to improve oral health across the lifespan by achieving health equity through education and access to quality oral health services.
  • Partner with the San Diego Senior Oral Health Partnership whose goal is to make measurable strides in improving oral health outcomes for seniors in San Diego.
  • Collaborate with County departments and community partners to identify strategies and implement programs with the goal to implement oral health in programs and services for all San Diegans.  

Medical Care Services (MCS) is committed to focusing on access to high quality dental care for all, decreasing oral health disparities, equity/diversity, and integrating oral health into overall wellbeing.

In San Diego County:

CHILDREN

In San Diego, data shows nearly 1 in 3 children entering public school had untreated dental decay.

 

 Source: Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA), 2023-2024

PREGNANT WOMEN

Only 47% of pregnant women in San Diego County received dental care during pregnancy

 

Source: Maternal and Infant Health Assessment [MIHA] Survey, 2019-2021

OLDER ADULTS

Emergency department (ED) and inpatient discharges have increased from 2017-19 for disorders of the teeth and jaw for those aged 65+.

 

Source: California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) limited data sets, 2017-2019. SpeedTrack© http://speedtrack.com/healthcare.php

PRODUCTIVITY

372,000 children reported missing at least one day of school due to a dental related problem in the past year.

 

Source: California Health Interview Survey [CHIS] 2022.

Find a Dentist

  

If you have Medi-Cal, you automatically have Medi-Cal Dental benefits and access to dental exams, cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, tooth removal, dentures, and emergency services

Visit smilecalifornia.org or call (800) 322-6384 to learn about Medi-Cal Dental benefits and to locate a dental provider.

Additional Resources

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