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Listed below are ways you may be able to find dental care for yourself or your family.
Safety net dental clinics provide dental care to people on Medicaid, and offer sliding-fees, reduced fees or free care to patients who don’t have dental insurance or can’t afford to pay a private dentist. The dental “safety net” includes public dental clinics, dental care provided to schoolchildren, and mobile/portable dental care programs (e.g., mobile dental vans). These programs provide basic dental care such as exams, X-rays, fillings, extractions, root canals and dentures.
Ohio currently has more than 170 safety net clinics in 60 counties, however, more than 25 counties have no dental clinic. They are listed, by county, in this spreadsheet and brochure. Counties that are not listed in the spreadsheet or brochure do not have a safety net dental clinic.
Many clinics require that you live in the same county to get dental care. Please contact each clinic to learn more about the dental care offered, the hours the clinic is open and payment options.
Children, families and pregnant women can receive free and low-cost dental care through Healthy Start-Healthy Families run by the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Besides dental care, many other types of health care such as doctor visits, prescriptions (drugs), hospital care and vaccines are covered.
Workers at your local county Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) office can help you. Find the ODJFS office near you. Call the Medicaid Consumer Hotline toll-free at 1-800-324-8680 if you need more help.
Applications are not being accepted and names will not be added to the program waiting list at this time. To find out more information about safety net dental clinics and a list of clinics in your county, please click on the links above under Safety Net Dental Clinics.
Dental OPTIONS (Ohio Partnership To Improve Oral health through access to Needed Services) is a program run by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Dental Association. The mission of OPTIONS is to help people who have a low income and/or special health care needs get dental care. OPTIONS patients are mostly adults; many are the “working poor” or elderly living on a fixed income. Eligible patients are matched with volunteer OPTIONS dentists who have agreed to provide dental care for lower fees.
What you need to know about the OPTIONS Program
As a possible patient:
If you think you might be eligible to apply, please call 1-888-765-6789.
As a volunteer dentist or lab:
Many patients served by the Dental OPTIONS Program need dental care involving lab work, such as crowns or dentures. Currently, more than 100 dental labs provide services to dentists treating OPTIONS patients. Participating dentists and dental labs determine the number and types of cases to donate or discount. Please call 1-888-765-6789 for information on how to participate in the OPTIONS program as a volunteer dentist or lab or visit the Ohio Dental Association website.
The Ryan White Emergency Financial Assistance (RWEA) program helps people who are HIV-positive and have an emergency need that is HIV-related, including dental care. Clients must be enrolled in the Ryan White program and be referred by a medical case manager.
