This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Dental workforce

Dental Health Aides in Alaska: A Qualitative Assessment to Improve Pediatric Oral Health in Remote Rural Villages
Evaluates the response to oral health disparities and access issues in remote Alaska Native villages by pediatric dental health aides. Draws data from interviews with patient focus groups, providers, and individual community members. Discusses barriers and strengths for pediatric dental health aides, including cultural competency, program sustainability, and expanded access to preventative oral health services.
Author(s): Kirsten Senturia, Louis Fiset, Kim Hort, et al.
Citation: Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 46(4), 416-424
Date: 08/2018
view details
Strengthening the Oral Health System in Rural Minnesota
Provides an overview of oral health systems in rural Minnesota. Includes information on the current dental workforce, models of care, emerging dental professions, and the cost of dental services. Discusses recommendations to support oral health systems by improving access, increasing the dental workforce, and creating new methods of delivering rural oral healthcare.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
view details
Closing the Gap on Dental HPSAs: Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
view details
Dental Therapy in Minnesota
Reports on the dental therapist workforce in Minnesota offering information on education, certification, licensure, and practice. Discusses the financial viability of dental practices employing dental therapists and how dental therapists can increase access to oral care in rural areas.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
view details
Improving Rural Oral Healthcare Access
Policy position brief discussing the oral and systemic health connection and the dental workforce shortage. Highlights the need for interprofessional education and offers recommendations for improving access to rural oral healthcare.
Author(s): Joni Nelson, Jacob Thatcher, Joy Williams
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Health Center Dental Employment Frequently Asked Questions
Provides information on health center employment for dental health professionals considering work in this setting.
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Network for Oral Health Access
view details
Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2018
Summary of efforts to identify gaps in access to health care and allocate resources to communities in greatest need, from 2015-2017. Includes trends in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations in Indiana, the preliminary HPSA analysis summary, projected need of providers in Indiana counties, and health rankings within Indiana.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
view details
Minnesota Oral Health Workforce: Trends & Pipeline Incentives
Provides information on the oral health workforce and access to oral healthcare in Minnesota. Discusses dental Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and covers a dentist to population ratio by rurality. Describes oral health trends in Minnesota.
Author(s): Nitika Moibi, Deb Jahnke
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
view details
Washington Program Trains Dental Super-Generalists to Serve Rural Communities
Features the University of Washington School of Dentistry's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program. Describes how the program is structured to create a "super-generalist" able to meet oral health needs in rural and underserved areas. Discusses the program's success placing graduates in rural locations.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Oral Health in Texas, Bridging Gaps and Filling Needs
Provides an overview of oral health in Texas and factors that contribute to oral health, while highlighting the needs of rural and border populations. Covers oral health workforce needs and barriers to accessing oral care. Provides regional and county-level statistics and information on rural populations, age, socioeconomic factors, oral health outcomes, and more.
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health Institute
view details