I-Smile: Iowa's Dental Home Initiative

I-Smile is an initiative developed as a result of a legislative mandate that all Medicaid-enrolled children in Iowa have a dental home. In cooperation with the Iowa Department of Human Services and other partners, the Iowa Department of Public Health created the I-Smile project, using a conceptual dental home model. Multiple providers are involved, including physicians, nurses, and dental hygienists to assure regular preventive oral health care is provided to children by the age of one. Dental hygienists, serving as I-Smile Coordinators, are located within 24 locations around the state to facilitate referrals to dentists for restorative care and regular exams, as well as to promote oral health and build local infrastructure. The anticipated outcome of I-Smile is an integrated service delivery system that provides early identification of disease risk, prevention, improved care coordination, and increased awareness of the importance of oral health. This session will explain how I-Smile was developed and how it is working to create a statewide system to assure children have a dental home.