MCOH

The State of the State of Missouri Oral Health
2026-03-06 10:45 - 11:45 (America/Chicago) | Roy Blunt Center for Healthcare Integration & Innovation, 3450 W. Edgewood Dr., Jefferson City, MO, 65109, United States
Presented by Dr. Megan Krohn, DDS
ZOOM LINK >
Session Overview:
This session will give an overview of the landscape for oral health in Missouri. This will include reports on the five priority areas of Office of Dental Health (ODH): Prevention and Oral Health Education, Workforce, Access to Care, Quality, and Population Health. In addition to the current programs and activities led by ODH, details will be shared on the priorities and strategic direction of the office.
Learning Objectives:

Learn general updates concerning Office of Dental Health.
Review the five priority areas for Office of Dental Health with details on current program status.
Briefly review the Rural Health Transformation Program and discuss suggested ways oral health initiatives will be addressed within the program.
Share the strategic direction of the Office of Dental Health, including measurable outcomes that complement the 2025-2030 State Oral Health Plan.

Slides

Megan Krohn, DDS
Chief Dental Consultant, MO DHSS – Office of Dental Health
Megan Krohn, DDS, serves as the Chief Dental Consultant for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) within the Office of Dental Health (ODH). Krohn is responsible for developing and overseeing core public health activities aimed at improving oral health in Missouri. Her focus is on providing the clinical expertise for oral health to drive forward the strategic initiatives of the department, ensuring there is access to oral health information and services for all Missourians.
Dr. Krohn previously served as the Executive Vice President of Dental Services at Swope Health, one of Missouri’s largest federally qualified health centers. Krohn increased access to patient care through clinic expansions, mobile dental care, and the development of innovative practices such as integrated care models. Krohn also has experience in private practice, portable dentistry, and board service. She graduated from UMKC School of Dentistry in 2016 with oral surgery honors.
Dr. Krohn is a member of the American Dental Association, Missouri Dental Association, and the Greater Kansas City Dental Society. She is also a member of the National Network for Oral Health Access where she serves on multiple committees and is the State of Missouri Ambassador. She is a member of the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors. In 2024, she was inducted as a Fellow to the Pierre Fauchard Academy and began service as a Delta Dental of Missouri Board Member. Incisal Edge Magazine honored Krohn as a “40 under 40” honoree for her work in expanding access to oral health care. Krohn brings a wealth of knowledge around social drivers of oral health, alternative care models and innovative thinking in how to bridge the gap between all dental practice modalities.

MCOH Model: Advancing Access to Care through Medicaid
2026-03-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Presented by Jessica Emmerich, Amanda Fahrendorf, and Monica Turner
ZOOM LINK >
Session Overview:
This presentation explains the unique MCOH Model and how it has been utilized to increase dental provider participation in MO Medicaid. MO HealthNet will share new data to shows the recent successes as well as the challenges that still exist. This session will also include Oral Health Kansas, who recently adopted the MCOH Model in an effort to replicate Missouri’s success. Oral Health Kansas will share how the model has been implemented, their successes, and lessons learned.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will be able to identify the essential pieces of the MCOH Model and how they have been used in Missouri.
Attendees will see an example of the MCOH Model being used in other states.
Attendees will be provided recent data that supports the success of the MCOH Model as well as being able to identify challenges that need to be addressed.
J.Emmerich Slides
M.Turner Slides
A.Fahrendorf Slides

Jessica Emmerich
Executive Director, Missouri Coalition for Oral Health
Jessica Emmerich was appointed Executive Director in December 2025. In 2022, Jessica was named the first Dental Medicaid Facilitator at MCOH. In this role, Ms. Emmerich collaborated with MO HealthNet and the Missouri Dental Association to support dental providers and encourage greater participation by providers in MO HealthNet programs. Her career includes service with the State of Missouri in both the Department of Social Services, MO HealthNet Division and Children’s Division, where she played an integral role in assisting dental providers and MO HealthNet participants throughout implementation of the Statewide Managed Care Roll Out. Ms. Emmerich brings substantial expertise in collaborating with MO HealthNet providers within both fee-for-service and managed care frameworks. She also offers dedicated support to dental practices statewide and actively works to improve access to care by addressing existing barriers. Jessica previously held the position of Operations Manager at the Coalition for several years prior to her advancement to her current role.
Jessica, a native of rural Northwest Missouri, recognizes the significance of expanding access to oral health care services throughout the state. She currently resides on a farm in Central Missouri with her husband and three children.
Amanda Fahrendorf
Education and Collaboration Manager, MO HealthNet Division (MHD), Department of Social Services (DSS)
Amanda Fahrendorf serves as the Education and Collaboration Manager within the MO HealthNet Division (MHD) at the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS). She has dedicated 22 years to DSS, with 15 of those years focused on MO HealthNet.
Amanda oversees education and training resources for all MHD programs and frequently speaks at events and conferences on Missouri Medicaid policy and initiatives. Over the past 3 years, she has led provider recruitment efforts, with a special emphasis on dental providers. Amanda is recognized as an expert in complex Medicaid inquiries and actively participates in committees and workgroups addressing maternal and infant health, provider recruitment, and access to care. Through these roles, she has built strong relationships with providers and partners to improve education and streamline processes for better service delivery.
Amanda’s leadership and contributions have earned her multiple honors, including the Professional and Leadership Development Award from DSS for three consecutive years. In March 2024, she received the Oral Health Champion Award from the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health for her work in expanding access to dental care. She also serves as a State Director on the National Board of the Medicaid | Medicare | CHIP Services Dental Association (MSDA).
Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from William Woods University (2009) and recently earned a Public Health Workforce Preparedness Certificate from A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.
Monica Turner, MHA
Project Coordinator, Oral Health Kansas
Monica Turner serves as Project Coordinator for the Pathways to Oral Health initiative, where she helps lead efforts to expand access to dental care for underserved Kansans.
Monica brings more than 20 years of experience in the dental field, having previously managed a busy endodontic practice. Her hands-on knowledge of how dental offices operate — from patient care to the business side of practice — gives her a practical, real-world perspective on the challenges providers face and the solutions that truly make a difference.
Originally trained in healthcare, Monica earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and has worked across a variety of healthcare settings. She recently completed her Master of Health Administration at Wichita State University (December 2024), where her interest for improving access to care for underrepresented populations grew even stronger. Today, she channels that interest into building partnerships and systems that make dental care more accessible for individuals with disabilities, low-income families, and rural communities.
Monica lives in Wichita with her husband and is the proud mom of three adult children. Outside of work, you’ll most likely find her enjoying the outdoors getting in a good workout.

Facilitated Discussion Groups
2026-03-06 08:00 - 09:00 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Discussion groups offer Coalition members a chance to explore specific challenges and brainstorm potential solutions. Each topic will begin with a brief introduction. Each discussion group will have a facilitator and an assistant to guide the discussion and summarize the findings for the entire group. We are confident that the conference will showcase significant expertise on these important issues. Your contributions will be submitted to the MCOH Policy Committee for further deliberation and action.
TOPICS:

Veteran Oral Health
Access for People with I/DD
Medical-Dental Integration
Seniors & Oral Health
Community Water Fluoridation
Maternal & Child Oral Health

Reimagining the Health Workforce: 100 Million Mouths Campaign in Missouri and Beyond
2026-03-05 10:00 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Sponsored by DHSS Office of Dental Health
Presented by Dr. Shenam Ticku
ZOOM LINK >
Session Overview:
This session will provide an overview of the 100 Million Mouths Campaign, which aims to train and support 50 oral health education champions, one in each state, over the next decade. These champions collaborate with medical, osteopathic, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and midwifery schools, as well as related residency programs, to sustainably integrate oral health curricula. The presenters will also highlight the program’s work in Missouri and other states as an example of the campaign in action.
Learning Objectives:

Explain the goals, structure, and national impact of the 100 Million Mouths Campaign in advancing oral health training within primary care.
Identify opportunities to engage with the 100 Million Mouths Campaign and strengthen oral health training in participants’ own states.
Illustrate, using the work led by the Missouri State Champion, how the 100 Million Mouths Campaign enhances the training of primary care providers across multiple disciplines.

Slides

Dr. Shenam Ticku, MPH, BDS
Assistant Professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Shenam Ticku is an assistant professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology and serves as the pre-doctoral discipline director for OHPE at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She was also a Rabkin Fellow in Medical Education for the 2024–2025 academic year. Her research focuses on medical-dental integration, training, and policy reform. She has served as a co-investigator in the federally funded Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health (CIPCOH), assessing the integration of oral health in primary care training. Additionally, she was a sub-project co-principal investigator on a study examining behavioral health and social determinants of health within dental workforce training. Her research has also explored the feasibility of integrating mental health screenings in dental settings, supported by the Eleanor and Miles Shore Faculty Development Award. She is the principal investigator of the 100 Million Mouths Campaign, a national initiative aimed at enhancing the primary care workforce’s oral health knowledge, skills, and competencies. She has led multiple studies under the HSDM Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine, further advancing interprofessional collaboration in oral health care.

Thank you DHSS Office of Dental Health for sponsoring this session!

Striving for Policy Change for Special Populations
2026-03-05 09:45 - 10:45 | Roy Blunt Center for Healthcare Integration & Innovation, 3450 W. Edgewood Dr., Jefferson City, MO, 65109, United States
Presented by Katie Schroeder, RDH, Community Relations Manager, Enable Dental,
and Dr. Nathan Suter, DDS, Chief Innovation Officer, Enable Dental
ZOOM LINK >
Session Overview:
Most oral health policy focuses on the largest groups, like children and healthy adults. This session shifts the focus to the “margins”—Veterans, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), and frail seniors in nursing homes—who often face the highest barriers to care. We will look at how “invisible” administrative rules, rather than medical need, often decide who gets treated. By comparing Missouri’s rules for SDF and dentures against other states, we will show how small changes in paperwork and policy can open doors to essential care.
Learning Objectives:

Understand the “Margin” Populations: Learn why Veterans, adults with disabilities, and nursing home residents face unique funding and access barriers that standard safety nets do not solve.
See “Red Tape” as a Policy Choice: Recognize how administrative details – like prior authorization forms and billing restrictions – act as gatekeepers that prevent covered care from actually being delivered.
Compare Critical Services: Contrast how Missouri handles Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and dentures with other states to see how specific rules block cost-effective prevention and basic function.
Find Fixable Problems: Identify specific, actionable changes Missouri advocates can demand, such as standardizing facility access rules and unlocking codes for simple preventive care.

Katie Schroeder, RDH
Community Relations Manager, Enable Dental
Katie Schroeder, RDH, BSDH, joined Enable Dental in 2024, serving in a dual role as Community Relations Manager and Project Manager, overseeing contracts with the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health and the Department of Health & Senior Services Office of Dental Health. Katie earned her BSDH from UMKC in 2006. She practiced clinical dental hygiene in private practice and public health from 2006-2010, and served as part-time adjunct clinical faculty and as a Kansas Head Start Oral Health Educator during the same period. Katie spent the next 14 years in the nonprofit sector holding a variety of roles with Cass County Dental Clinic, most recently as Director of Dental Programs from 2019-2024. She is a former board member for the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health and the Missouri Dental Hygienists’ Association. Katie is passionate about oral health education and improving access to care for underserved populations. When not working, Katie enjoys spending time with her husband, Nick, daughter, Eliza, and their 2 rescue dogs. She enjoys doing puzzles, taking walks, and practicing yoga.

Dr. Nathan Suter, DDS
Chief Innovation Officer, Enable Dental
Dr. Nathan Suter DDS is a visionary leader who is set to revolutionize the dental industry through his expertise in teledentistry, clinical and tech innovation. He started his career in public health and served as a director for a prominent group practice. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he has provided consultations to various providers, states, professional organizations, and payors on the subject of teledentistry.
As the co-founder of Healier, a dental-focused workflow platform, Dr. Suter is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge solutions to enhance dental care delivery. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he was named the 2019 Missouri Dentist of the Year by the Missouri Dental Association and was awarded the ADA’s Top 10 Dentist Under 10 Years in Practice in 2020.
With his passion for advancing dental care, Dr. Suter is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of his patients and the dental industry as a whole.

Community Water Fluoridation Science Panel
2026-03-05 09:00 - 10:30 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Sponsored by DHSS Office of Dental Health
Presented by Gwen Sullentrup, Dr. Jennifer Sample and Dr. Kevin Baumgartner
Session Overview:
This course gives a concise overview of community water fluoridation, explaining its role in preventing tooth decay by strengthening enamel. It covers how regulated fluoride levels in public water systems are set well below toxic thresholds, distinguishing safe public health practices from hazardous exposures. Participants will review key findings and limitations from recent scientific and legal reports, including those by the NTP and EPA, to understand their relevance to public health decisions. The course examines research on fluoride and IQ, highlighting evidence that community water fluoridation at regulated levels shows no impact on IQ. Safety is addressed through clinical and public health perspectives, helping participants respond to concerns about children and vulnerable groups. Finally, the course provides strategies for sharing accurate, balanced information to support informed choices and constructive community dialogue.
Learning Objectives:

Explain what community water fluoridation is, how it works, and why regulated levels differ from toxic exposure.
Interpret the NTP report and EPA fluoridation lawsuit, including what they do and do not conclude.
Evaluate claims about fluoride and IQ using the newest research, including evidence showing no IQ impact at optimally fluoridated levels.
Respond to common safety concerns using clinical toxicology and public health evidence.
Apply credible information to personal decisions and community conversations about fluoridation.

Slides

Gwen Sullentrup, MAT
Chief, Office of Dental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services
Gwen is the Office of Dental Health CWF Coordinator and holds a BA in psychology and has completed over 70 hours of graduate work in the fields of education and business. Gwen started her career with the state in 2006 working at State Technical College of Missouri. She continued her work for the state, working with underserved populations in child and adult abuse and neglect, the WIC program, long-term care inspector and ultimately finding her home with the Office of Dental Health in 2020.
Gwen is working on completing her last four classes to finish out both of her Master’s degrees, one in education and one in business management. Gwen continues to work to help improve the needs of all Missourians and has been blessed to work for and with a wonderful group of individuals that help move the needle forward on public health initiatives and education that improve the lives of Missourians.

Challenging Budget, Challenging Times
2026-03-05 09:00 - 10:30 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Presented by Amy Blouin
LINK TO ZOOM >
Session Overview
Missouri faces a Learn about what’s happening with Missouri has a $2 billion shortfall.
Following a decade of tax cuts, Missouri is now facing a severe budget crisis including a $2 billion shortfall in the next year. To address this shortfall, the Governor’s budget proposal includes cuts to Medicaid, health and mental health services that will impact access to dental care. At the same time, the implementation of the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation Act threatens to result in 178,000 Missourians losing Medicaid, impacting access to care. Lawmakers are considering tax proposals that would magnify the crisis, and result in an additional $5 billion cut to the state budget. This session will cover all of these issues, the impact on oral health and how you can help.
Learning Objectives
Participants will learn:

About the impact of state budget and tax policy decisions on access to comprehensive healthcare, including oral health;
About proposals before state policymakers that could ameliorate the crisis and proposals that could worsen the crisis; and
How they can engage in educating lawmakers in order to inform good decision-making.

Slides
Amy Blouin
President, Founder & CEO, Missouri Budget Project
Amy Blouin founded the Missouri Budget Project in 2003 and serves as its President & CEO. Amy has a Master of Social Work from St. Louis University (1996) and a BA in Political Science and Religious Studies from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa (1991). Amy previously served as the Director of Advocacy for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and as Government Relations Staff for the United Way of Greater St. Louis. Amy has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University, spent time working in Central America, and worked with the Iowa Department of Economic Development European Office in Frankfurt, Germany.
Amy has worked on state tax and fiscal policy issues for more than 25 years and has received regional and statewide recognition for her work. In 2012, the St. Louis Business Journal named Amy “One of the Most Influential St. Louisans.” Other awards include a “40 Under 40” award from the St. Louis Business Journal and the Missouri Women’s Network 2010 Award for Advancing Women’s Equality.

2026 Missouri Oral Health Policy Conference
2026-03-05 - 2026-03-06 | Capital Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Missouri Oral Health Policy Conference
Capitol Plaza Hotel & Convention Center | Jefferson City, MO
March 5–6, 2026
Register Now >
The only statewide conference bringing oral health professionals and advocates together to shape Missouri’s oral health future.
Thursday, March 5 | Day One
8:00 -10:00 AM – Optional Legislative Awareness Event
9:00 – 10:30 AM – Registration and Check-In
Day 1 Sessions
Challenging Budget, Challenging Times – RSVP Required
Community Water Fluoridation Science Panel
Striving for Policy Change for Special Populations
Reimagining the Health Workforce: The 100 Million Mouths Campaign in Missouri and Beyond
2026 Oral Health Champion Awards & MCOH Board Chair Award

Friday, March 6 | Day Two
Breakfast 7:00 – 8:00 AM
Day 2 Sessions
8:00 AM – Facilitated Discussion Groups

Veteran Oral Health
Access to Care for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)
Medical-Dental Integration
Seniors and Oral Health
Community Water Fluoridation
Maternal and Child Oral Health

11:45 AM – Closing & Lunch

Get Involved
Become a Sponsor
Become an Exhibitor
Become a Speaker

Here’s what we did last year >

Board Meeting
2026-02-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Join the Meeting
Meeting ID: 870 5483 2661
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Phone: 1-312-626-6799; 1-346-248-7799

View the Agenda
