Ohio opens state's 1st in-school dental clinic

Ohio has opened the state's only in-school dental clinic at a Cincinnati public school.

The three-chair clinic at the Oyler School will be operated by the Cincinnati Health Department and the Cincinnati Dental Society's Oral Health Foundation, according to a story in the Sun Herald.

One full-time dentist and volunteers from the foundation will provide oral care for children who don't have insurance.

The clinic is expected initially to serve 900 students and children from the surrounding community and reach full capacity of 1,300 students in a few years, but officials said students from throughout the 33,000-student district can come to the clinic if they can't get to other services.

Various organizations helped cover the start-up costs, with Delta Dental Foundation providing most of the funding.

The clinic is designed to be self-sustaining and will operate on a sliding-fee schedule with the clinic billing health insurance providers, including Medicaid, and parents when possible. But no students will be turned away if their parents cannot pay.