Children's Oral Health Collaborative

The Children's Oral Health Collaborative brings together community partners across Cook Children’s eight-county primary service area—Collin, Denton, Grayson, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant, and Wise counties—to improve children’s oral health and overall well-being. This collaboration focuses on increasing awareness, access, education and advocacy around oral health services. By working collectively, we aim to build stronger, healthier families through prevention and care. For questions or information, please email oralhealth@cookchildrens.org.

Our strategic plan and objectives

Our efforts are guided by a strategic plan based on the Cook Children’s community health needs assessment data and input from community partners. The plan provides a roadmap to guide our efforts and ensure long-term success.

A diverse regional collaborative

Foster collaborative approaches and expand partnerships around childhood oral health.

Community engagement

Increase community engagement with key stakeholders in priority areas.

Child and family education

Strengthen knowledge and skills for children and families.

Educating providers/ community leaders

Educate and support providers and community leaders who will share knowledge and skills.

Influencing policy / organizational practice

Support organizational practices and policies that promote childhood oral health.

Focus areas and key efforts

Oral health

Provides oral health tools and resources to priority populations
Provides access to dental treatment and coordinate care support for partnerships
Raises awareness through legislative advocacy

Oral health information

Health access action team

Engages dentists and community partners in the “Rise Up for Oral Health” movement to improve dental care access, availability, and advocacy where people live, work and go to school
Distributes oral health tools and resources to priority populations
Offers a train-the-trainer course to professionals

Leadership action team

Provides clear, achievable goals and support for each action team
Recruits a cross-sector of members and partners to engage in the movement to improve dental care access, availability and advocacy to ensure all our neighbors have a healthy smile in our 8-county service area
Promotes collaboration and awareness around priority strategies to build a greater impact for the collective work of each action team

Save a Smile action team

Provides restorative and preventive dental care to children from low-income families in the community through volunteer dentists
School-based grassroots approach includes a social service model and is the key component to connecting children to the care they need

Save a Smile® program information

School-based oral health action team

Supports awareness campaigns and events at schools to connect the dots between oral health and overall health
Ensures students are healthy and ready to learn through dental screenings, age-appropriate education, and distribution of oral health tools

Access free resources

The Center for Community Health is committed to providing free education and access to our data.

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