The ADA released a report summarizing results from a two-year, six-state pilot aimed at increasing dentist participation in Medicaid and expanding access to oral healthcare for beneficiaries.
The report, "Increasing Medicaid Participation in Dentistry: A Blueprint from a Six-State Pilot Program," drew from work conducted from 2023 to 2025 in Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota -- states selected because they recently expanded Medicaid dental benefits, raised reimbursement rates, or introduced other access-focused policy changes.
Four of the six states increased dentist participation in Medicaid and expanded utilization of dental services among beneficiaries. The report found that reimbursement increases are most effective when paired with provider outreach and enrollment support and that coalitions work best when all key stakeholders -- including state government and managed care organizations -- are at the table.
Building on the pilot, the ADA launched the Dental Access Partnership Across States program, a two-year initiative that seeks to help states collaborate with in-state partners to increase Medicaid participation. Montana, Virginia, and Iowa are participating in the inaugural 2026-2027 cycle. The full report is available at ADA.org/Medicaidblueprint.
