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Welcome!

I-Smile™ is a statewide program that connects Iowans with dental, medical, and community resources to ensure a lifetime of health and wellness.

I-Smile is for kids and pregnant women, I-Smile @ School™ is for preventative care for school aged children, and I-Smile Silver™ is for all adults within a ten county pilot project area.

Our website has lots of great information about kids’ oral health as well as what you need to know about I-Smile, I-Smile @ School, and I-Smile Silver programs. So, take a look around, have some fun, and learn a little more about oral health!

For additional resources visit the Iowa Department of Public Health Oral and Health Delivery Systems website.

What People Say About I-Smile
  • "I had made so many calls on my own and gotten turned down because of our insurance. I was frustrated!! A dental office that told me they couldn't help me gave me {the I-Smile Coordinator’s} number to call. She was able to schedule an appointment for me. Without her, I don't know what I would have done to get my child seen."

    Parent - Northern Iowa
  • "It is great to know that there is somebody who can help when we know that one of our local children has a dental problem.
    Thanks I-Smile!"

    Dentist - Western Iowa
  • "I feel that the I-Smile program has been very beneficial for our community. Through the I-Smile coordinator, many children who are in need of care have been sent to local dentists for care and some have found dental homes. Our I-Smile coordinator has also served as a valuable resource for other community projects involving dentistry."

    Dentist - Eastern Iowa
  • "Thank you SO much for coming and teaching our senior patients about their teeth and overall health. They really enjoyed your information and receiving a personal dental screening. Thank you so much for what you do; you are changing people's lives. "

    Senior Program Director- Northwest Iowa
  • "Give Kids a Smile Day {organized by our I-Smile Coordinator} is a gift not only to the kids but to the schools. For many kids this is a rare, perhaps the only, opportunity to have oral health needs attended to. When oral health is addressed, kids' health improves, they have a better outlook towards themselves and they approach life more positively. School attendance improves. Students are more engaged in the classroom with their teachers and peers and learning increases. Ultimately, kids end up with a better shot at life due to a not so simple gift that many of us take for granted."

    School Administrator - Western Iowa
  • "As a school nurse, I am impressed with the assistance provided by the I-Smile program. The assistance this program provides in helping families find a dental home, the way they can provide dental screenings, has been a tremendous benefit to those within our community. The benefits far exceed any of the costs involved with the program, particularly in a community like ours where the water is not fluoridated. Since the complications of untreated dental issues are well established, it is imperative that we have the assistance of the I-Smile program to promote the health and well-being of Iowa's children."

    School Nurse - Eastern Iowa
  • "Thank you for providing this service {school sealant program} to our students! I really appreciate it!"

    Parent- Southern Iowa
  • "I had made so many calls on my own and gotten turned down because of our insurance. I was frustrated!! A dental office that told me they couldn't help me gave me {the I-Smile Coordinator’s} number to call. She was able to schedule an appointment for me. Without her, I don't know what I would have done to get my child seen."

    Parent - Northern Iowa
  • "Thank you SO much for coming and teaching our senior patients about their teeth and overall health. They really enjoyed your information and receiving a personal dental screening. Thank you so much for what you do; you are changing people's lives. "

    Senior Program Director- Northwest Iowa
  • " When you are in the military, they take care of your teeth but when you are a civilian if you don’t have dental coverage you are not able to afford dental care so you don’t go see the dentist. I think this program is important and needed because without it, I would have never known that I had options for dental treatment."

    Johnny, I-Smile Silver participant- Eastern Iowa
  • "I am very thankful for I-Smile Silver. They helped me find a dental provider close by and get the care that I needed at a reasonable cost. "

    Senior Apartment resident- Eastern Iowa
  • "Our I-Smile Silver coordinator came to our care facility and provided education to our direct care staff on oral health. I am very thankful she could come and discuss how oral health impacts overall health! "

    Director of Nursing- Eastern Iowa
  • "As a Certified Nursing Assistant instructor, I am happy to have connected with I-Smile Silver through Carole Ferch in Scott County. She provided me with the information to get certified in oral hygiene. I hope to develop a short in-service for long-term care facility staff to emphasize the importance of really good oral care."

    Certified Nursing Assistant Instructor- Eastern Iowa
  • "Thank you SO much for coming and teaching our senior patients about their teeth and overall health. They really enjoyed your information and receiving a personal dental screening. Thank you so much for what you do; you are changing people's lives. "

    Senior Program Director- Northwest Iowa
  • "I had made so many calls on my own and gotten turned down because of our insurance. I was frustrated!! A dental office that told me they couldn't help me gave me {the I-Smile Coordinator’s} number to call. She was able to schedule an appointment for me. Without her, I don't know what I would have done to get my child seen."

    Parent - Northern Iowa
  • "It is great to know that there is somebody who can help when we know that one of our local children has a dental problem.
    Thanks I-Smile!"

    Dentist - Western Iowa
  • "Give Kids a Smile Day {organized by our I-Smile Coordinator} is a gift not only to the kids but to the schools. For many kids this is a rare, perhaps the only, opportunity to have oral health needs attended to. When oral health is addressed, kids' health improves, they have a better outlook towards themselves and they approach life more positively. School attendance improves. Students are more engaged in the classroom with their teachers and peers and learning increases. Ultimately, kids end up with a better shot at life due to a not so simple gift that many of us take for granted."

    School Administrator - Western Iowa
  • "I feel that the I-Smile program has been very beneficial for our community. Through the I-Smile coordinator, many children who are in need of care have been sent to local dentists for care and some have found dental homes. Our I-Smile coordinator has also served as a valuable resource for other community projects involving dentistry."

    Dentist - Eastern Iowa

Featured Program

Cavity Free Iowa is a new medical-dental initiative focused on early oral health care and prevention of early childhood cavities. Recognizing that young children often see their primary care provider on a routine basis for well child visits, the goal of Cavity Free Iowa is to increase the number of children ages 0-35 months receiving preventive oral health services and dental referrals. 

The initiative was launched in central Iowa in 2017 with support from pediatric and family practice physicians, dentists, Delta Dental of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Health. 

For more information about Cavity Free Iowa check out our question and answer document and visit American Academy of Pediatrics Oral Health Prevention Primer.

Featured Flyer

Learn more about the Oral Health issues facing older adults from the 2017 Basic Screening Survey.

Infographic of Older Iowans and Oral Health. Download pdf

Featured Video

Learn more about community water fluoridation in Iowa and within your own community!