OHIO — As stated in the 2025 State of the State Address last week, Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has unveiled plans for the Ohio Children’s Dental Services Pilot Program, which aims to improve dental health among school-aged children in the state.

What You Need To Know

  • If approved by the General Assembly, the program will roll out to nine counties which have had a lack in dental professionals and nonprofits with services

  • The program could help 12,000 children in those counties, ODH estimates

  • The goal is to help children have one less thing to worry about and help them focus on schoolwork, socializing and more

According to the governor’s office, among all Ohio children last school year, nearly one in five had at least one untreated cavity.

DeWine said in his speech that poor dental health can affect children in the classroom, causing them to fall behind on schoolwork, socialize less and miss school more often.

“Poor dental health can make it hard for a child to eat, sleep, or even talk – let alone learn,” Governor DeWine said during his address. “It’s clear that many Ohio children have untreated, serious dental problems that follow them into adulthood. We must step up for these children.”

The pilot program will start serving children in nine Ohio counties that have been identified as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas and lack “safety net dental clinics,” which are nonprofit dental facilities that provide care for low-income families. The pilot counties include:

  • Clinton County
  • Crawford County
  • Gallia County
  • Highland County
  • Hocking County
  • Monroe County
  • Noble County
  • Paulding County
  • Washington County

The Ohio Department of Health will help bring together health care providers, school districts and more to help deploy dental programs for schools. The programs will provide screenings, preventative care and other treatment.

“Unlike vision screenings, Ohio does not require dental screenings in schools, and too many of our children are not receiving this essential care,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH director. “Untreated oral health conditions can lead to more serious health issues and even costly emergency department visits. This program will help improve our children’s health in some of the most underserved areas of the state.”

The General Assembly must approve the program. If it comes to fruition, ODH said the program could provide dental care for as many as 12,000 Ohio children in the high-need counties.

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