Here are a few of our proudest accomplishments from the past year
As the new year begins, we at NCOHC are proud of what we accomplished in 2025. At a time when the oral health system has faced setbacks from Medicaid cuts and decisions to eliminate water fluoridation, NCOHC remained committed to meeting these challenges. Last year, we brought more people into our collaborations, clarified what policies matter most for oral health, launched a new training program, and laid the groundwork for workforce solutions that stretch beyond North Carolina.
Water fluoridation rollbacks have put oral health under threat across the country.
We hosted Oral Health Day 2025, a deep dive into the science and safety of fluoride. Our state and national speakers examined questions about fluoride and discussed the best ways people can make sure they keep themselves and their families safe and healthy. Learn more about fluoride in our blog post from May 19.
We brought more people to the table, and our collaborations grew.
We redesigned the Western North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative (WNCOHC). Membership increased from around 20 members to over 50 and held virtual and in-person meetings bimonthly. This new and improved WNCOHC is already working to expand the reach of our programs in the western region of our state.
We added to our Collaborative Acceleration Team (CAT), including oral health leaders from CAT membership and invited new members to advise on its work. New members include representatives from the North Carolina OHS, North Carolina Medicaid, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Workman School of Dental Medicine. We held quarterly CAT meetings, which improved our efficiency and coordination.
We improved our cross-state collaborative efforts, including the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The focus will be on increasing the dental workforce, especially dental assistants.
We began collaborations across state lines, receiving the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) planning grant. This grant has gone towards two main areas: creating regional strategies to grow the pipeline for all oral health team members. We began work on these goals and will continue to push forward in 2026 and beyond.
Workforce shortages continue to be a top priority in the oral health landscape, especially in safety-net clinics. NCOHC is working to advance workforce solutions.
Alongside the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC), we piloted a new training pipeline for dental professionals, the Dental Practice Management Academy. The idea had been talked about for years but was finally made real in 2025. The pilot ran from January to March with 28 participants, and blended real-world expertise from providers, office managers, assistants, and educators. With the success of this pilot, the Dental Practice Management Academy will be continuing in 2026.
We advocated for policy changes to the regulation of public health and limited supervision dental hygienists. The statutes and rules regulating different types of hygienists (GS 90-233 (a1) and 16W and 16Z) lead to inefficient practice in public health and limited supervision settings. NCOHC engaged legislators on this issue, and hosted a webinar with over 200 registrants. Our speakers explained the complexities of the rules and discussed how public health and limited supervision hygienists could be more effectively used in public health dental settings. They also explored advocacy opportunities that could align these rules and improve access to oral healthcare. We plan to continue to advocate to align these policies to ensure more providers are comfortable using these rules to provide increased access to oral health care in NC communities.
Looking forward
As we look forward to the new year, our work will remain focused on building a more connected oral health community. We plan on continuing to advocate for policy changes that expand the oral health workforce and support safety net providers, especially with Medicaid reimbursement. We plan to fortify our collaborations to fight against the threats to Oral Health from fluoridation rollbacks and Medicaid cuts. NCOHC remains committed to making oral health care available for the people who need it most.
NCOHC, a Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation program, works to advance systems-level changes, improving the overall health and well-being of all North Carolinians by increasing access and equity in care. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to join the network and get involved!