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Colorado Oral Health News Fall 2026: Workforce Grants, Head Start, and Dementia Care

Message From the Dental Director

Jenni Lansing, state Dental Director, smiles in front of some foliage.

Happy Fall from all of us at the Oral Health Unit (OHU)!

We have several exciting updates to share this season. We are thrilled to announce that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) OHU is a recipient of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities. This program supports states in developing and implementing innovative programs to address the oral health workforce needs of Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Thank you to the organizations that provided letters of support for our application. We look forward to sharing more details soon.

We are honored to continue supporting Cavity Free at Three (CF3) training for first-year dental students at the School of Dental Medicine, and we appreciate the ongoing dedication of our CF3 Master Trainers. Additionally, the City of Fort Morgan and the City of Cañon City received 25-year award recognitions from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) for consistently adjusting drinking water fluoride concentrations to optimal health levels between 2000 and 2025.

The 2026–27 Basic Screening Survey (BSS) efforts are now underway. While the 2022–23 BSS showed that nearly two-thirds of third graders and half of kindergarteners in Colorado experience tooth decay, we hope our expanded school-based oral health initiatives will improve these outcomes. Over the last two years, the OHU expanded its support from nine programs in 79 schools to 15 programs reaching 253 schools and 22 school-based health center sites. 

CDPHE recently submitted a public comment regarding the Administration for Children and Families’ Proposed Rule for Head Start Programs, emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong infrastructure and ensuring access to preventive health services for enrolled children and families.

Looking ahead to 2027, we want to highlight the great work of Colorado’s oral health network. If you have an initiative you would like featured in an upcoming newsletter, please submit it through the Oral Health Success Stories Google Form.

We wish you all a restorative, safe, and peaceful holiday season!

With Gratitude,

The OHU

Jenni Lansing, CPH, MPH, MBA, RDH

State Dental Director 

News & Hot Topics

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs” (RIN 0970-AD30, docket ACF-2026-0595). The public comment period ended October 6th. The proposal aims to replace current Head Start Program Performance Standards with a streamlined set of requirements. While statutory requirements remain unchanged, finalizing this rule would significantly alter service delivery by removing or scaling back standards for teaching, health, parent governance, and specialized care.

Head Start is currently operating under existing policies and procedures, providing wrap-around comprehensive services, and continuing to enroll children and families. Until the official public rule is posted, operations will continue in this manner. The OHU, the Colorado Head Start Collaboration Office, and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, which also works closely with federal partners, continue to collaborate effectively to maintain the high standards of established Head Start programs in Colorado. Over many years, the Collaboration Office and the OHU have partnered on lunch and learns for Head Start staff, provided technical assistance to local programs, and answered questions about outreach efforts. The established partnership convenes monthly and is available to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs and partners serving these sites. Please contact the OHU with any questions.

ASTDD and OHRC Policy Statement: Silver Diamine Fluoride – A Non-Restorative Treatment for Dental Decay

The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) developed a policy statement on silver diamine fluoride (SDF). The developed statement provides information about SDF safety and efficacy, including limitations and clinical considerations. The resource highlights the use of SDF as an interim strategy to manage dental caries, its use in non-traditional settings, and how health care and public health professionals can support implementation efforts.

Valley-Wide dental students completing implant training through simulation equipment and placing first implant on a patient.

Stories from the field

Expanding Access to Care: The Impact of Practice-Based Health Education in Colorado

Over the last three years, the Practice-based Health Education Grant Program (PBHE) through the Primary Care Office has helped strengthen Colorado’s health workforce across health disciplines, including oral health. Through grant funding, PBHE has supported six programs that train dental assistants and dentists in both urban and rural communities across the state.

From 2023 through 2026, 116 students completed an oral health training program with support from PBHE funding. By investing in oral health education and training, the grant is helping expand access to care in Colorado communities that continue to face barriers to care and shortages of health care professionals.

In addition to supporting students in completing their training programs, PBHE identified access to hands-on, practice-based training and support for preceptors as important needs through stakeholder engagement. In response, grant funding provided resources to strengthen clinical training opportunities and preceptor capacity. Oral health programs provided more than 30,000 hours of student clinical training through supervised, practice-based education, helping dental assistants and dental students gain the hands-on experience needed to enter the workforce prepared to serve Colorado communities.

Students’ reflections highlight the value of these experiences. One Valley-Wide dental student shared that the clinical rotations “have been invaluable in preparing me for the dental work that lies ahead.” Another student described the most rewarding part of their rotation as “seeing the impact the clinic makes for the betterment of the community,” including providing access to essential dental services for people who might otherwise go without care.

Together, these investments demonstrate how strengthening education, clinical training, and preceptor support can help build a stronger oral health workforce and improve access to care across Colorado.

American Institute on Disparities in Public Health Releases Report: The Oral Health and Well-being of Aging Colorado Veterans

With funding from the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, the American Institute on Disparities in Public Health (AIDPH) developed a report on the oral health and well-being of Colorado’s veterans aged 65 and older. Read more about AIDPH’s efforts and download the August publication.

Prenatal, Infant, Toddler

Cavity Free at Three featured in Best Practice Approach Report

Cavity Free at Three was recently recognized as a national evidence-based model in Best Practice Approach: Integrating Oral Health into Primary Care published by the Association for State and Territorial Dental Directors and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. The feature spotlights how integrating oral health care into routine medical visits improves overall health outcomes and cost-effectiveness, helping bridge access gaps for underserved children across Colorado.  

Cavity Free at Three Trains CU Dental Students 

The Cavity Free at Three team would like to thank the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine for allowing us to come and train the first-year dental students again this year. Eighty first-year dental students completed the training and received CF3 certification in August. We were very excited to be able to provide the training in person. We would like to thank CF3 Master Trainer, Alyssa Aberle, RDH, for leading a great training this year.

Advancing Preventive Oral Health Care in Colorado’s Universal Preschool (UPK) Programs

Over the past two years, Assuring Better Child Health & Development and Healthy Child Care Colorado partnered to launch the Healthy Universal Preschool Collaborative (HUPC), a screening and referral initiative with an initial focus on oral health. The pilot helped UPK programs develop and implement oral health policies and procedures aligned with the new UPK Healthy Development Quality Standards, reaching a total of 77 programs serving more than 2,500 children. As a result of the project, 991 children received oral health screenings from a Child Care Health Consultant, with nearly one-quarter (23%) resulting in a subsequent referral. Additionally, over 800 children started engaging in daily toothbrushing in the classroom. Read the blog and explore the HUPC Impact Report to learn how the pilot strengthened preventive oral health practices, referral pathways, connections to dental homes, and community partnerships.

School-Age

Free Toolkit Available: Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation Oral Health Career Toolkit

Explore the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation Colorado Oral Health Workforce Education Toolkit, a free resource designed to help elementary through high school students learn about careers in oral health. The toolkit includes hands-on activities, career exploration resources, and educator-friendly materials that make it easy to introduce students to rewarding career pathways in oral health. 

Toolkit resources and available materials can be downloaded through the following links:

Oral health and non-oral health professionals can implement the toolkit and associated materials in classroom settings. The toolkits include instructor guidance to facilitate hands-on activities. Separate instructor and student copies are available for the middle and high school student curricula. Contact the OHU to receive free Melissa & Doug Super Smile Dentist Kits, designed to support hands-on activities in preschool classrooms.

CDPHE’s Oral Health Unit’s support for School-based Oral Health Programs

Early in 2026, the OHU released a mini-grant opportunity for School-based Oral Health (SBOH) programs. This funding support accompanies the OHU’s multi-year support of SBOH services offered by Regional Oral Health Specialists within Local Public Health Agencies and support of SBOH services within School-based Health Centers. With this additional initiative, the OHU increased support to 15 SBOH programs that serve 253 schools and 22 School-based Health Center sites. Data is visually presented in the SBOH Program Access Targeting Map, and is currently being updated to reflect the additional SBOH program sites.

The OHU developed and launched a secure cloud-based workflow application to support the implementation of SBOH services, creating a streamlined data collection process to evaluate progress. The application, SCOPElink Oral Health (School & Community Outreach & Prevention Engagement for Oral Health), was utilized to collect oral health screening data in Spring 2026 for Colorado Senate Bill-24-142, is being piloted with SBOH programs, and will be used for screening data collection during the 2026-27 Basic Screening Survey. 

Contact the OHU if you are interested in participating in upcoming SBOH mini-grant opportunities or if you would like to learn more about SCOPElink Oral Health. 

Older Adult

Opportunity to Provide Feedback: Dementia and Oral Health Educational Resources

The CDPHE Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Program and the OHU are developing dementia education materials to assist care partners in supporting oral health home care for individuals living with dementia and for oral health professionals to use in clinical settings. 

Four educational flyers/resources

  • Flyer 1: Oral Health for People Living with Dementia: Tips for Care Partners 
  • Flyer 2: Oral Health and Dementia at Home for Care Partners
  • Flyer 3: Oral Health for People Living with Dementia: Tips for Professionals
  • Flyer 4: Oral Health and Dementia: Health Professional Considerations

These materials were designed to raise awareness about the potential connections between oral health and dementia, and the impact poor oral health can have on risk factors for dementia. The educational resources also intend to emphasize the importance of maintaining the oral health of loved ones living with dementia. 

CDPHE ADRD and OHU are seeking additional feedback on how to improve these resources! Please review the flyers/educational resources linked above and provide feedback using the Google Form. 

Questions? Please reach out to Monica Maly. 

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