Skip to main content
King County logo
  1. Pregnancy, child and teen health
  2. Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD)

Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD)

Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD)

ABCD program logo

Haga clic aquí para ABCD en español

The King County Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program (ABCD) focuses on preventive and restorative dental care for Medicaid-eligible children, with an emphasis on "First Tooth, First Birthday, First Dental Exam" by a dentist or a doctor, as recommended by the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dentists have been specifically trained and certified on caring for young kids, preventing tooth decay early and educating parents about how to take good care of their children's teeth.

Program eligibility

  • Do you have any children 5 years old or younger?
  • Are they enrolled in Medicaid or do they have medical coupons / ProviderOne service card?

If you answered yes to all of the above questions then your child is eligible for the program and ABCD staff will make every effort to find the right dentist for you.

Program benefits

  • Increased access to dental care throughout King County
  • Increased number of dental services (i.e. 3 fluoride varnish applications per year, 2 Family Oral Hygiene Instruction consultations per year, etc.)
  • Assistance in finding a dentist that will fit you location, timing, and language preferences
  • Assistance in coordinating transportation to and from the dental office
  • Assistance in coordinating interpreter services for the dental visit

Dental providers in King County (parts of Pierce and Snohomish counties included

Quick links

Program flyers in multiple languages

English, Chinese, Filipino, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese

Free streaming and DVD videos

Available in multiple languages, watch a preview of "The Well Child Checkup" and "Baby Teeth Are Important" and complete a form to order a free DVD copy including both videos in all languages.

About the ABCD program

In 1994, a group of concerned dentists, dental educators, public health agencies, the state dental association, and State Medicaid representatives came together to address the problem of the severe lack of dental access by Washington State's high-risk preschool children. The proposed solution was the development of the ABCD Program.

The first ABCD program opened for enrollment in Spokane, Washington in February 1995 as a collaborative effort between several partners in the public and private sectors. Its success has led other county dental societies and health districts in Washington to adopt the program, as well as prompted interest from other states.

The Seattle and King County ABCD program was part of the King County Health Action Plan's Kids Get Care (KGC) Program and the largest of 23 ABCD programs in Washington state. The KGC program's core mission was to ensure that children have access to early integrated preventive physical, oral and developmental health services through the attachment to a medical and dental home, which KGC defined as a source of continuous comprehensive care.

The Health Action Plan, the collaborative community entity that designed KGC, had over six years experience in developing and implementing public/private activities. Working in partnership with Public Health – Seattle & King County, Washington Dental Service Foundation, the Washington Health Foundation, and over thirty other organizations, the Health Action Plan implemented collaborative policy development and pilot projects that focused on system change and improvement of worsening health trends affecting vulnerable populations within King County.

Carol A. Allen, ABCD Coordinator
ABCD@kingcounty.gov

Link/share our site at www.kingcounty.gov/abcd