About Us

The Washington State Oral Health Coalition (WSOHC) is a broad-based group of
organizations and individuals whose mission is to promote and advocate for optimal oral health for all Washington State Residents.

Guiding Principles

In support of the WSOHC mission, the coalition believes in the following principles:

• Universal access to oral health care.

• Promoting oral health services that are community-based, preventive and culturally appropriate.

• Creating partnerships with public, private, and community-based stakeholders, decision-makers, and the public regarding oral health issues.

• Clear and open communication with all stakeholders to facilitate mutual goals and objectives.

• Both the right and responsibility of individuals to participate on decisions affecting their own oral health.

• Encouraging creative approaches to oral health issues.

• Advocating for and promoting oral health intervention strategies which are based upon sound scientific principles.

• Recognizing the value and strength of the current dental delivery system.

• Accomplishing our mission through teamwork and continuous improvement.

WSOHC - A Decade of Difference

The Washington State Oral Health Coalition has good reason to keep on smiling. In an environment where coalition building among sometimes collaborative, sometimes competitive stakeholders can be challenging, WSOHC has survived and thrived for over a decade.  

The organization sprouted from a meeting between two women sitting at a picnic table under a tree behind Department of Health (DOH) headquarters in Building 7 at Airdustrial Park in Tumwater. Beth Hines, dental program manager for DOH, was talking with Suzanne Peterson from Children’s Hospital. Later, Ms. Hines met with Washington Dental Service (WDS), and enlisted their support to start a statewide oral health coalition.  

The Children's Oral Health Summit in March 1993 highlighted the results of the third grade survey and brought together an even larger group focused on oral health.   This group which originally called itself the "Children's Dental Health Committee" became the Washington State Oral Health Coalition.

While its focus has expanded from children to people of all ages, the Coalition continues to work for improved access to oral health care and capacity for oral health service delivery. Its membership includes dentists and dental hygienists as well as representatives of social service and health care organizations with a stake in oral health, dental clinics, dental foundations, and institutions of higher education. It also includes representation from local oral health coalitions throughout the state. 

In fact, the Coalition has been a driving force in the formation of local oral health coalitions throughout the state. Aided by the Community Integrated Service Systems (CISS) Maternal and Child Health grant, Washington state was home to 13 local coalitions by 2000. WSOHC’s role took shape as an annual conference to provide information and networking opportunities for local coalitions. Held for four years, 1998 – 2001, Community Roots for Oral Health presented an array of national speakers, panels, and participant workshops to boost oral health visibility, education, and outreach throughout the state.

WSOHC welcomed the new millennium with a new role of its own. The Coalition evolved to a more formal level when it became a nonprofit organization with   501C-3 status. In 2002, WSOHC produced the state’s first Oral Health Summit, a one-day gathering of oral health decision makers and advocates whose task it was to set the course for oral health in the coming years. Working from the blueprint designed that day, WSOHC has moved forward in the areas of adult dental advocacy and workforce development, maintaining a balanced role of informing and being informed on the consistent issues of oral health education, access, and service delivery for all of Washington’s residents.