Project Archive
The Virtual Dental Home Project offers the potential for an innovative, low cost method to improve access to dental care for vulnerable populations in California by providing prevention-focused oral health services in community sites such as Head Start Centers, schools, residential living facilities for people with disabilities, and long-term care institutions for dependent or elderly adults. Although this project has been shown to be effective in expanding access to care and in improving oral health, the cost-effectiveness of the program’s interventions had not previously been measured. We developed an analysis centered around a simulation model that estimates the potential cost impact of the Virtual Dental Home project on the state’s Medi-Cal program.