CareQuest

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health is a Boston-based nonprofit working to make oral health care accessible, equitable and integrated with the rest of the health system. Its starting premise is that oral health is health: poor oral health is linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and people of color, rural residents, people with disabilities, older adults and other underserved groups have often been left behind by the current system.

The institute pursues that goal through several channels. It advocates for federal and state policy change, supports communities through grants, conducts research and data analysis, and educates dental and medical professionals, students and community partners. Its publications range from reports on who gets left behind in oral health to guidance on caring for patients covered under Medicare’s dental benefit, and it has weighed in on issues such as community water fluoridation.

What to Know

• CareQuest Institute is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider of continuing education for oral health professionals.
• A for-profit subsidiary, CareQuest Innovation Partners, funds and scales new solutions that improve health through oral health.
• The institute mobilizes coalitions and advocacy networks to support its policy work.
• It is a member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.