Oral health programs
A healthy mouth leads to better overall health. Studies show that poor oral hygiene can increase risk for diabetes, heart attack, stroke and premature births. Oral diseases affect what we eat, how we look, the way we communicate and how we feel about ourselves. They also affect academic success and economic productivity by limiting our ability to learn, work and succeed. To address the oral health needs in our region, the Coast to Cascades Community Wellness Network and other community partners have worked over the years to educate the community on the benefits of good oral health and improve access to dental services through extensive collaboration.
Oral Health Resources
We have compiled some local, state and federal resources to help you maintain good oral health, hygiene and overall wellness.
- Advantage Dental
- Boys & Girls Club of Albany
- Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis
- Capitol Dental Care
- Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties
- Community Outreach Inc.
- InterCommunity Health Network CCO
- Lincoln County Health and Human Services
- ODS Community Dental Plan
- Samaritan Albany General Hospital InReach Clinic
- Strengthening Rural Families
- The River Center
- Willamette Dental Group
Good oral hygiene is about more than just a thumbs up and a reminder to floss at your dentist appointment. It’s about taking care of your whole body, because a healthy mouth leads to better overall health.
As a part of the Lincoln County oral health campaign, community members are encouraged to submit a photo of themselves with their best smile to Jess@ahmbrands.com for a chance to be featured. Here are some photos from members of Lincoln County showing off their smiles.
grant programs
Oral Health Co-Location – Lincoln County
In 2021, HRSA awarded the CCCWN $1 million for a five-year Oral Health Co-Location outreach grant to integrate oral health care into the two critical access hospitals in Lincoln County to expand access to basic dental care and increase community and provider knowledge of the importance of oral health. This grant will leverage partnerships with Capitol Dental Care and Advantage Dental Care and will fund two Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists (EPDH) to work in Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital alongside other hospital staff to provide dental screenings and other basic oral health care services to hospital patients. The EPDH will also work with Lincoln County Oral Health Coalition and the Regional Oral Health Coalition to expand voucher services and other programs to ensure continuity of dental services, and to design and deliver oral health navigation and referral services.
Clean Smiles = Healthy Bodies – Lincoln & East Linn Counties
The Coast to Cascades Healthy Smiles for All Program was a $883,385 grant funded program from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Clean Smiles = Healthy Bodies was a public awareness campaign aimed at improving the oral health of uninsured and underinsured residents in the rural communities of Lincoln and east Linn counties.
The goals for the campaign were to raise awareness about:
- The integral connection between oral health and overall health
- How poor oral health can lead to chronic disease such as diabetes
- How good oral health is very important during pregnancy to reduce early childhood caries and tooth decay
- The new oral health services available through Healthy Smiles for All initiative.
