Achieving health equity through oral health value-based care: a funder's perspective

Because dental caries is one of the most preventable diseases in the world, poor oral health and inequitable outcomes are not just a failing of our current system of care and financing, but the result of decades of unjust and oppressive systems that were not designed to serve all patients equitably. Reducing these disparities will take deep and intentional work to focus on value, outcomes, and each patient as a whole person. In this article, we describe some of the unique opportunities funders have to listen, learn, and leverage strategies to redesign the oral health system in a way that prioritizes historically marginalized people and communities and transforms the way oral health care is accessed, delivered, and received.