Virginia Health Care Foundation

When people don’t have dental insurance and can’t afford care, most simply go without. The result? Chronic pain, difficulty eating or speaking, and preventable infections and tooth loss. For some, the pain is so severe it interferes with their ability to work, live a normal life — even to smile.

Since July 1, 2021, all adults and children enrolled in Medicaid now have access to a comprehensive dental benefit. This is a critical step forward — but there’s still work to do.

The Need is Urgent

The Need is Urgent

• Many Virginia communities still lack access to affordable dental care.
• There are only 100 dental safety net sites statewide — many open just part-time — and demand often far exceeds capacity.
• In some rural areas, there is just one dentist for every 5,000+ residents.
• Pediatric dental access is especially challenging, with too few pediatric dentists to meet demand.

View the Interactive Map of Virginia’s Dental Safety Net Clinics

How VHCF is Strengthening Virginia’s Dental Safety Net

Grants
VHCF has invested more than $17.6 million have helped establish or expand 59 dental safety net sites statewide. Grants provide funding for dental equipment to helping underwrite the salaries of dentists and hygienists.

These grants fund everything from state-of-the-art dental equipment to the salaries of dentists and hygienists — directly increasing access to care. Learn more and apply here.

Best Practices & Collaboration

Through Tooth Talk, VHCF brings dental providers together to share ideas, problem-solve, and learn from one another.

• Tooth Talk Listserv – Stay connected, ask questions, and receive updates on new resources and funding opportunities.
• Tooth Talk Roundtables – Twice-yearly gatherings to tackle key issues facing Virginia’s dental safety net.

Cost-Saving Partnerships

VHCF partners with Patterson Dental to make operating a clinic more affordable.
Providers serving uninsured Virginians get exclusive discounts on supplies, equipment, software, and repair services — resulting in over $4 million in savings to date.

Resources for Providers

Whether you’re starting a clinic from scratch or looking to improve efficiency, VHCF offers a wealth of toolkits, manuals, and how-to guides — including strategies for reducing no-shows and improving patient retention.

Policy & Advocacy

VHCF collaborates with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, Virginia Dental Association, Virginia Health Catalyst, and other key partners to shape policies that improve access to dental care — including the landmark adult dental Medicaid benefit.

Questions? Contact Tessa Ashoff, Senior Program Officer, at (804) 587-0511 or tessa@vhcf.org.

Discounts: VHCF partners with Patterson Dental to enable providers serving uninsured Virginians to receive a substantial discount on dental equipment and supplies, maintenance and repair and dental practice management software. This partnership has brought over $3.5 million in savings to Virginia’s dental safety net.

Resources: VHCF offers a wealth of resources for dental safety net providers — from how to start-up a dental clinic to how to handle no-shows.

Policy: VHCF works in partnership with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Virginia Dental Association , the Virginia Health Catalyst, and other key stakeholders to contribute to policy changes that improve access to dental care for Virginians, including the adult dental Medicaid benefit.

Last Updated on October 14, 2025