MCD Global Health was one of 10 national organizations, and the only one in Maine, that received a CareQuest Institute for Oral Health® grant for school-based and school-linked initiatives to improve oral health outcomes.

MCD’s Oral Health Initiatives received $125,000 to integrate oral health with health, dental, and school partners and increased access to care for Maine children utilizing school nurses to provide screenings and preventive services. Specifically, MCD will train school nurses to apply silver diamine fluoride (SDF), a topical medication to treat and prevent cavities, and other preventive services for school children.

Integrating oral health into children's primary care as early as possible is vital to ensuring a healthier life into adulthood. In Maine, about half of all children are not receiving preventive dental care, and even fewer can access care in a traditional dental home.

“Maine has reached a low in access to care like we’ve never seen,” said Courtney Vannah, MCD’s Oral Health Initiatives senior program manager. “Children in Maine have long faced challenges in access to dental care within the traditional dental care delivery model.”

During the one-year grant, MCD will recruit and train seven school nurses in oral health assessment, SDF application, and follow-up care. Throughout the pilot, telehealth technology will be used to provide school nurses with remote support as they address students’ oral health needs. The results of this pilot will help determine whether this strategy can be adopted on a broader scale in more schools.

Overall, CareQuest Institute awarded a total of $1.25 million in grant funds for this initiative to 10 organizations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Read more about the grant

Learn more about MCD's Oral Health Initiatives