Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Dental workforce

Strategic Plan: Oral Health in Kentucky
Outlines the strategic plan for the Kentucky Oral Health Program. Includes county-level maps showing the distribution of general dentists and dentists who accept Medicaid, and discussion on how to reduce oral health disparities among rural and underserved populations. Covers policy initiatives to support oral healthcare and providers in rural areas.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Public Health, Division of Maternal and Child Health
view details
Assessing the Impact of Washington State's Oral Health Workforce on Patient Access to Care
Examines the oral health workforce and access to oral care in Washington state. Includes information on workforce demographics, rural and urban distribution of oral health providers, and difficulty recruiting dental hygienists and assistants in rural areas. Provides recommendations, policy changes, and potential solutions offered by oral health workforce interviewees.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Malaika R. Schwartz, Lisa Hager, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Alabama Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas
Map of Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Alabama.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
view details
Trends in the Development of the Dental Service Organization Model: Implications for the Oral Health Workforce and Access to Services
Results of a 2017 survey of dental service organizations, which often build new practices in underserved and rural areas, and case studies of 6 dental support organizations providing general or specialty dentistry in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Shen Wang, Simona Surdu, Elizabeth Mertz, Cynthia Wides
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Health Workforce Studies, Oral Health Workforce Research Center
view details
Dental Utilization for Communities Served by Dental Therapists in Alaska's Yukon Kuskokwim Delta: Findings from an Observational Quantitative Study
Presents results from a program evaluation designed to assess the impact of dental therapists on dental utilization and oral health outcomes in the Yukon Kuskokwim (YK) Delta of Alaska. Examines utilization and outcomes based on total dental therapist treatment days, presents results for both child and adult populations, and focuses on three primary measures: preventive dental care use, extraction of teeth, and dental care under general anesthesia.
Author(s): Donald L. Chi, Dane Lenaker, Lloyd Mancl, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Washington
view details
Access to Dental Care Remains a Challenge for Millions of Michiganders
Report reevaluates a study on oral healthcare access in Michigan. Breaks down key takeaways from the study, such as rates of Medicaid enrolled dentists, access for low-income populations, and dentist distribution.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
view details
Evaluation of Provider Network in the Iowa Dental Wellness Plan, 2014-2016
Reports on Iowa's Dental Wellness Plan (DWP) provider network established due to the poor oral health status of low-income residents and need for dental care within the state. Compares the first and second year of the DWP using outcomes measures that include dentist supply and distance to the nearest dentist in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
Author(s): Susan McKernan, Mark Pooley, Aparna Ingleshwar, Elizabeth Momany, Peter Damiano
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Iowa Public Policy Center
view details
Community Health Workers Get Trained to Reduce Oral Health Disparities
Highlights programs serving the Navajo Nation, Texas colonias, and Appalachian Maryland that use community health workers to provide oral health education and improve access dental care.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Dental Therapy Toolkit: A Resource for Potential Employers
Toolkit designed to provide prospective employers of dental therapists a history and understanding of the field and offer information on how to integrate dental therapists into their practices in the state of Minnesota. Includes regulations and scope of practice details, education and training requirements, and examples of successful dental therapy models, among other topics.
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Reform Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, Minnesota Department of Human Services
view details
Dentists in New Mexico by County
A fact sheet displaying in map and in table format the number of dentists in the state of New Mexico by county.
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
view details