Children's Oral Health Coalition

Building Healthier Smiles

Since 1999 Children’s Oral Health Coalition (COHC) has led the charge to improve the oral health of children and pregnant teens/women. COHC has been recognized nationally as a 2018 Health Equity Hero by DentaQuest for our work supporting pregnant teens, and received the Texas Dental Association Certificate of Merit for Train the Trainer: Oral Health in 2008. COHC is notably the only children’s oral health coalition in Texas.

To help advance the strategies of COHC, members have united to make an impact in Tarrant County and the surrounding areas. The coalition is comprised of a diverse, multi-sector collaboration with a network of over 35 organizations including Fort Worth Dental District Society, Fort Worth ISD, Arlington ISD, Dental Health Arlington, Tarrant County College Dental Hygiene Program, North Texas Area Community Health Centers, Texas Department of State Health Services, Maximus, DentaQuest, nonprofit organizations, and other dental and non-dental stakeholders.

Celebrating over a Decade of Smiles

When a concerned school nurse administrator voiced her concerns about children’s oral health, Cook Children’s listened. From that moment forward COHC was formed and started on a path of making children’s oral health a top priority in Tarrant County and throughout the state of Texas. If you are interested in learning about our efforts in the past 25 years, download our anniversary report.

Download PDF

Our focus:

There are many ways to address oral health disease in children and pregnant teens/women. We have chosen four areas for impact: Awareness, Education, Prevention and Advocacy.

Awareness

Since our inception in 1999, over 953,274 oral health awareness materials have been distributed that address common oral health topics of concern to parents.

Educational Resources

Awareness messages are also shared through social media, and provided free to the public.

Education

Oral health education is provided through a free, 4-hour Train the Trainer class for community professionals (child care providers, nurses, social workers, etc.). Classes are taught by a dentist or a dental hygienist.

From 2008 to 2023, more than 7, 800 families have been reached by 852 Oral Health Ambassadors.

Educational videos

Train the Trainer: Oral Health Education

"Train the Trainer" was created to give community professionals the skills and knowledge needed to talk about oral health to pregnant women and parents of young children ages birth to 8 years of age.

Train the Trainer is a free four-hour workshop introducing oral health basics in a small group setting, and taught by a dentist or dental hygienist. The workshop is a unique way to learn the importance of oral health and how it impacts overall health in a fun, engaging environment with hands-on activities.

Once the training is completed, participants become "oral health ambassadors" with access to a teaching toolkit and other resources to:

Explain how mouth health is connected to overall health
Inform pregnant mothers why oral health matters during pregnancy
Demonstrate proper oral health basics - wiping infant gums, brushing, flossing, choosing the right size toothbrush and how to make brushing fun
Prepare parents for their child's first dental visit by age one
Help parents choose foods and drinks that are healthy for teeth and gums

To learn more about this program, click here and download the Train the Trainer brochure.

Professional Training

Prevention

Twenty-five years of building healthy smiles has resulted in 953,274 educational resources and prevention items distributed to infants, toddlers and elementary students at a value of $525,852. These are distributed through schools, day cares, and social service organizations throughout North Texas.

Limited oral exams (dental screenings) are provided during the school year by various community partners and volunteer dentists.

Advocacy

We advocate for oral health systemic and policy changes at the organizational, local and state levels to make sure children, and pregnant teens/women have access to oral health care when it is needed. We also track and use data to help support our advocacy work.

Coordinated care for pregnant teens + women update (CC4PT+W)

Dentists play and important role in the care of pregnant teens and women. However, dentists are not always a part of the pregnancy journey for various reasons. Barriers to providing care can include the availability of dentists for referrals, the need for a doctor’s consent prior to providing any care, the comfort level in providing treatment and the lack of awareness about the safety of care during pregnancy.

We want dentists actively engaged in providing essential dental care to pregnant moms to ensure the healthiest and safest results for both mom and baby.

Pregnant moms will be referred by medical providers as well as other community organizations involved in the pilot. This opportunity is open to all dentists.

By becoming a dental provider for our Coordinated Care for Pregnant Teens + Women initiative, we can work together to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of babies and pregnant moms in our community. Your help is needed to make this vision a reality.

Coordinated care for pregnant teens and women

Coordinated care for pregnant teens and women – FAQ's

Volunteer dentist application

Membership information

Join the COHC and make a difference!

The mission of the Children's Oral Health Coalition is to improve the oral health of children ages 0 to 8 in Tarrant County through community collaboration.

About us

The COHC uses evidence-based practices and a strategic plan to guide the education, prevention, awareness and advocacy initiatives in the community.

Children's Oral Health Coalition led by Cook Children's

Get involved

The COHC uses evidence-based practices and a strategic plan to guide the education, prevention, awareness and advocacy initiatives in the community.

Attend our bi-monthly meetings
Attend or send staff to a Train the Trainer: Oral Health Workshop
Volunteer at the Wild about Smiles kit assembly event
Become an Oral Health Champion and distribute education, awareness and prevention materials to families
Help spread the word about children's oral health
Make a donation to help purchase supplies for oral hygiene kits

Membership application

Click here for COHC application commitment Letter.

Questions or comments

Elaine Vivens

If you have any questions or would like more information about our program, please email Elaine Vivens at oralhealth@cookchildrens.org.