The Maine Dental Connection mobilizes and connects the state’s existing network of oral health care providers to increase access for Maine people by bringing care into community settings where people already spend their days. This program expands the vision of a dental home beyond a brick-and-mortar office, embracing community-based, patient-centered care to build dental homes as ongoing, trusting relationships between a dental care team and the patient and their family.

A new Maine Dental Connection storybook: "The Night Before the Virtual Dentist" - a first-of-its-kind children's book that tells the story of community-integrated care. Follow this link for a read-aloud available in 7 languages!

The Maine Dental Connection initiative is an evolution of the virtual dental home (VDH) model first implemented in California in 2010 by Dr. Paul Glassman and his team. VDH is an oral health care delivery system in which diagnostic, preventive care and early intervention are delivered by a dental hygiene team in a community setting, connecting with a dentist for exams, treatment planning, and any restorative or specialist care that cannot be delivered in the community setting. This model, when fully implemented, can keep over 80% of pediatric patients healthy in the community and minimizes trips to the dental office.