Children's Dental Health Services

Children's Dental Health Services (CDHS) is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization, providing dental care services to underserved children. CDHS began providing services in 2005 with a mission to give under and uninsured children, who are living in poverty, access to consistent preventative oral health care. Care was initially provided to children five and under and by 2008 expanded to children ages fourteen and under due to demand of care for older children. With increasingly limited dental care options for families, CDHS now serves children up to age 21 (enrolled in high school).
Services were originally provided at our administrative office in the United Way building in Rochester and expanded into a public health model and a mobile school-based program as this helped increase access for children to receive important preventative dental care services. Over the past 13 years, Children’s Dental Health Services has expanded to provide care into seven counties throughout Southeast Minnesota, delivering care at over 50 sites. Children's Dental Health Services provides care in Freeborne, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Dodge, Winona and Steele counties through collaborations with local United Ways, Head Start sites, public school systems, public health and WIC sites and other community resources.
Restorative services are offered at our main office in Rochester for the children who participate in our school-based and public health clinics with treatment needs.

With the mission of increasing access to dental care for children in need, Children's Dental Health Services provides dental care directly to children. Working in an innovative portable model, Children's Dental Health Services provides care for children at their school and is co-located at many sites in the community. Our portable model allows us to eliminate many logistical access barrier many of the families we serve face, including inability to take time off work; lack of reliable transportation; and difficulty of arranging childcare. Through our portable model we are able to provide important preventative dental care services they may not otherwise receive.

In addition to providing preventive dental care services in a portable model, Children's Dental Health Services provides oral health education to children and their families to improve oral health knowledge. Educating children and their families through educational presentations and outreach events, we are able to improve healthy behaviors among children and their families to improve oral health among high-risk children.

Restorative services are offered at our main office in Rochester for the children who participate in our school-based and public health clinics with treatment needs.