DentaQuest celebrates 20 years of partnership with Virginia's Medicaid dental program

Improving oral healthcare for children and adults with Cardinal Care Smiles

WELLESLEY, Mass., July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DentaQuest, part of Sun Life U.S., and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) today celebrate 20 years of partnership creating access to comprehensive oral healthcare for thousands of Virginians.

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In July 2005, DMAS introduced a new initiative, previously called Smiles For Children and now known as Cardinal Care Smiles. This change carved out Medicaid dental services from traditional medical plans, creating a separate dental benefit specifically designed to better meet the needs of both children and adults. With all dental services centralized under a single dental benefits administrator, the program became easier for members to navigate and has helped with increasing provider participation and encouraging more consistent use of dental services. DentaQuest today provides approximately 1.8 million Virginians with Medicaid dental benefits that cover a range of preventive and restorative care. 

"DentaQuest has been honored to partner with Virginia in expanding access to quality dental care for Medicaid members across the Commonwealth since 2005," said David Healy, president, Sun Life U.S., Dental. "Together, we've reached meaningful milestones — from expanding coverage for pregnant members to the historic addition of comprehensive adult dental benefits. These achievements are the result of strong collaboration not only with DMAS, but also with the dedicated dental providers and stakeholders across Virginia who care for Medicaid members every day. We remain deeply committed to this partnership and look forward to building on our shared vision of a healthier future for all Virginians."

In alignment with the state's goals, DentaQuest has focused its most recent efforts on helping reduce the number of missed appointments, establishing a dental home – similar to a primary care provider – for all Medicaid members, and assisting patients with dedicated case management that helps connect members with the resources they need to achieve optimal health through one-on-one consultations. In addition, DentaQuest continues to support efforts to recruit dentists and dental specialists for the Virginia Medicaid dental provider network.

"For the past 20 years, our partnership with DentaQuest has helped us advance our mission of ensuring access to quality dental care for Virginia's Medicaid members," said Justin Gist, who manages the DMAS dental program. "DentaQuest's longstanding commitment to member-centered care, provider collaboration, and community engagement has played a vital role in improving oral health outcomes across the Commonwealth. We are proud to mark this milestone together and look forward to continued progress in the years ahead."

Learn more about Virginia Medicaid enrollees' dental benefits.

About DentaQuest
Sun Life U.S. Dental, which includes DentaQuest, is dedicated to improving the oral health of all through purpose-driven, outcomes-based solutions. We make dental benefits better for everyone through Preventistry^® – an inclusive approach centered on preventive, quality care, expanded access and solutions built on valued relationships across the health care ecosystem. We manage dental and vision benefits for approximately 35 million Americans. For 30 years, we have delivered cost-effective benefit plans and services for employer groups, individuals, health plans, and government-sponsored dental programs. We are the largest Medicaid and CHIP dental benefits administrator in the U.S., by membership. We also support direct patient care through an expanding network of approximately 75 dental practices in underserved communities across the United States. Learn more about Sun Life U.S. Dental at sunlife.com/dental and dentaquest.com.

Direct Media Inquiries to:

Maya Linson
[email protected]
202-794-3738

SOURCE DentaQuest