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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Indiana Oral Health Workforce: 2024 Data Report
Provides information on total license renewals, actively practicing dentists, and actively practicing dental hygienists. Includes geographic distribution of oral health workforce supply with county-level data on dentists and dental hygienists population-to-healthcare worker ratios.
Additional links: Dental Hygienist Workforce Snapshot, Dentist Workforce Snapshot
Author(s): Sierra Vaughn, Yan Ge
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Compendium of Rural Oral Health Best Practices - 2025
Highlights examples of the best practices in rural oral healthcare across the country. Presents a number of models regarding workforce development and training, integration of care, telehealth, clinical care, and policy.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, National Rural Health Association
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Fluoride Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors: Adults in Rural Alabama
Highlights a study on rural adults knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding fluoride use in water and toothpaste as method of cavity prevention. Bases findings on a survey of 291 adults in Green Hill, Alabama.
Author(s): Alex Harper, Steven M. Levy, Wei Shi
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 16
Date: 06/2025
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North Carolina Health Professional Shortage Area: 2024 Profile
Fact sheet on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in North Carolina, covering primary, mental health, and dental HPSAs. Includes county-level maps showing population and geographic HPSA score ranges, and indicates counties that contain at least one HPSA facility.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Office of Rural Health
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Wait Times for Medical Appointments among Adults Age 50 and Older
Reports on wait times and distance to healthcare services in rural and urban communities, utilizing data from a February 2025 survey of 1,012 adults age 50 or older. Breaks down data by level of rurality, type of facility, and type of care provided.
Additional links: Annotated Questionnaire
Author(s): Teresa A. Keenan
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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Arkansas's Shifting Rural-Urban Divide: Healthcare Access Issues
Provides data on shortages of primary care physicians and dentists in rural and urban areas in Arkansas, and discusses high vulnerability to closure among rural hospitals in the state.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Exploring Oral Health and Care Access among Adults with Disabilities
Report discusses the challenges adults with disabilities have accessing oral healthcare. Explores the role of transportation, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, and metro versus non-metro location, among other factors, as barriers to oral healthcare access for people with disabilities.
Author(s): Morgan Santoro, Lisa J. Heaton, Rebecca Preston, et al.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
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Quantifying Arizona's Dental Health Workforce Shortage Using Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Data: Updated April 2025
Reports on dental workforce shortages in Arizona. Includes data on safety net providers and workforce supply in Arizona counties and tribal nations.
Author(s): B. Koch, C. Drake, A. Garn, D. Derksen
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Idaho Dental Health Professional Shortage Area Service Areas
Identifies the Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in the state of Idaho by county. Includes both the geographic and population group HPSA designations.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care
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The Oral Health of Montana's Kindergarten Children, 2021-2023
Describes the prevalence of tooth decay among Montana's kindergarten children, including those living in rural areas, compared to kindergarten children in the U.S. between 2011 to 2016. Includes data on the decay experience and untreated decay in Montana kindergarten children in 2021 to 2023 by sex and rurality.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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