The National Rural Oral Health Initiative is the combined effort of the National Rural Health Association and the DentaQuest Foundation to improve oral health disparities in rural America through policy, communications, education and research. As oral health issues have long impacted those living in rural communities, the activities included in this initiative are designed to enhance access to quality oral health care.
This Compendium of Rural Oral Health Best Practices is a product of that collaboration. The initiative’s effort is primarly intended to share and highlight best practices, models, research, and policies from around the country that can be built upon. The compendium is representative of the specific purpose of the National Rural Oral Health Initiative: To provide leadership on rural oral health care with the intent to establish oral health care as part of primary care, thereby increasing health care access for all rural Americans.