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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Exploring Access to Critical Health Services for Older Adults in Rural America from 1990 to 2020
Analyzes Area Health Resource Files to evaluate access to healthcare facilities and services between 1990 and 2020 using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC). Discusses healthcare access disparities between urban and rural areas and the growth of the older adult population in rural communities.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Bambury, Alexis A. Merdjanoff, Joshua T. Fergen, J. Tom Mueller
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e70004
Date: 02/2025
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Virginia's Dentistry Workforce: 2024
An overview of the dentistry workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2024 Dentistry Survey. Features statistics including the number of dentists in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Associations Between Socioeconomic, Spatial and Educational Factors and Midlife Periodontal Disease Risk: Evidence From 'High School and Beyond'
Examines periodontal disease (PD) risks according to socioeconomic, geographic, and educational factors. Utilizes data from 26,820 people from 1980 to 2021 to analyze self‐reported PD diagnosis, with breakdowns according to educational attainment, demographics, childhood income, geographic region, urbanicity, and more.
Author(s): John Robert Warren, Jessie Himmelstern, Chandra Muller, Eric Grodsky, Ryan Demmer
Citation: Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 52(6), 843-858
Date: 01/2025
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2023 Pennsylvania Dentist and Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey Report
Presents findings from the 2023 Dentist Survey and 2023 Dental Hygienist Survey, designed to collect information on the characteristics and distribution of the dentist and dental hygienist workforces in Pennsylvania. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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Virginia's Dental Hygienist Workforce: 2024
An overview of the Virginia dental hygienist workforce based on data from the 2024 Dental Hygienist Workforce Survey. Features statistics on the number of dental hygienists working in rural Virginia as well as how many grew up in rural areas of Virginia.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Vermont 2023 Census of Dentists: Statistical Report
Presents detailed profiles of dentists who renewed their Vermont licenses in September 2023, to be used as the basis for policy analysis, shortage area designations, and recruitment and retention. Features statistics including a section on primary care dentistry-to-population ratios with breakdowns by county.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Rural Oral Health Seminar Toolkit
Toolkit highlights resources and best practices for dental schools looking to create a rural oral health seminar. Discusses the importance of providing a rural-focused seminar for dental students and how rural experience and exposure can aid in recruitment of oral health professionals to rural areas with dental health professional shortage designations. Provides examples and best practices for constructing the seminar.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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2023 Health Professional Underserved Areas Report: Kansas Primary Care and Rural Health
Features information on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) in Kansas. Discusses healthcare workforce recruitment and retention as well as rural hospital programs during 2023. Provides county-level data and maps on Primary Care, Mental, and Dental HPSAs. Includes a table classifying counties as urban, semi-urban, densely-settled rural, rural, or frontier.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
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Challenges and Strategies to Improve Access to Oral Health Care in Rural America
Provides an overview of barriers to oral health in rural areas, and discusses strategies to increase access to oral health care and improve rural public health outcomes. Covers topics including dental insurance, service delivery models, oral health workforce, the role of oral health professionals in addressing opioid and tobacco use, and water fluoridation.
Author(s): Liang Hong, Shillpa Naavaal, Sohini Dhar, Siddardha Chandrupatla
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD)
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Georgia Dental Hygienist Workforce Report 2025: Based on 2024-2025 Licensure Renewals and New Licensees
An overview of Georgia's dental hygienist workforce. Includes statistics on distribution of Georgia dental hygienists by age, sex, work hours per week, specialty, and years of licensure. Features county-level maps showing counties without dental hygienists and concentrations of dental hygienists per 100,000 residents as of 2025.
Author(s): Chet Bhasin, Leanna Greenwood, LePrissa Moore, Briana Harris, G.E. Alan Dever
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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