https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/oral-health Oral Health in Rural Communities resources related to rural health, with information provided by the Rural Health Information Hub en Copyright 2026 Rural Health Information Hub https://nashp.org/increasing-access-to-oral-health-care-in-rural-communities/ Describes strategies states are implementing to meet the oral health needs of their rural communities. Covers initiatives related to telehealth, expanding the dental workforce, medical-dental integration, as well as initiatives proposed as part of state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. -- National Academy for State Health Policy https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27672 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:36:38 -0500 https://familymedicine.uw.edu/rhrc/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/03/RHRC_PRMAR2026_Andrilla.pdf Describes the supply of general and specialist dentists in rural and urban counties in 2022. Explores dental care utilization and outcomes in 2019 by degree of rurality and patient characteristics. Discusses the implication of these findings on policies and interventions related to the supply of dentists in rural areas. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27635 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:09:13 -0500 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jphd.70037 Highlights a study exploring the role Medicaid expansion has played in the utilization of emergency department (ED) visits for nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) among adults in rural and urban areas. Details the rates of ED utilization for NTDCs in rural and urban hospitals in 8 states and explores rates based on states' Medicaid policy. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27532 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:45:25 -0500 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1753528/full Presents a study evaluating the implementation of the MORE Care initiative, an oral health integration model, into six rural counties in Ohio. Details the outcomes of the two year pilot program, including oral health assessments, fluoride varnish, and dental referral systems implemented into primary care practices. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27529 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:46:48 -0500 https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=ruhrc_reports Explores COVID-19-specific impacts on dental care access and utilization among rural and urban populations. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban status. -- Rural and Underserved Health Research Center https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27402 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:02:03 -0600 https://familymedicine.uw.edu/chws/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/01/WA_IHS_EFDA1_UWCHWS_2025.pdf Report describing the Expanded Function Dental Assistant-1 (EFDA-1) role within the Indian Health Service. Includes information about its implementation, its importance in rural and underserved areas, and its place in Washington's dental workforce and related career pathways. -- UW Center for Health Workforce Studies https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27161 Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:22:58 -0600 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.13859 Discusses a series of initiatives to increase Alabama's rural dental workforce through a partnership between The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences. Describes the interventions designed to get rural students interested and participating in oral health training. Details a summer program for high school students, a pathway program for post-grads, and scholarships for participating students. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26379 Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:27:25 -0500 https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/us_dentist_workforce_2025.pdf Explores who makes up the dentist workforce, how and where dentists work, how practicing dentists are faring economically, and the future of the dentist workforce. Features statistics including the dentist-to-population ratio and average revenue per dentist, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. -- American Dental Association https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26279 Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:00:05 -0500 https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/medicare-oral-health-fact-sheet_FINAL.pdf Details the oral health risks of limited dental coverage by Medicare. Discusses aging-related oral healthcare conditions, the economic barriers to care caused by lack of coverage, and how rurality can affect preexisting oral health disparities. -- CareQuest Institute for Oral Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26255 Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:33:22 -0500 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-13294-8 Presents a study on the initiation and sustenance of flossing among people in rural Appalachia. Explores the factors that lead to regular daily flossing and makes recommendations for interventions aimed at making similar behavioral changes. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26172 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:24:48 -0500 https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CareQuest_Institute_Dental-Care-in-Crisis_10.31.25-1.pdf Report explores non-traumatic emergency department visits for dental conditions. Tracks the cost and prevalence of incidents from 2019 to 2022. Includes a breakdown of incidents in rural, small or medium metro, fringe metro, and central metro counties. -- CareQuest Institute for Oral Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26110 Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:29:44 -0500 https://nrha-prod-eastus-fe.azure.silvertech.net/programs/center-for-rural-public-population-health/rural-oral-health-initiative Features resources, information, and best practices for policy makers, educators, and providers on delivering oral healthcare in rural communities. Presents resources on special topics, such as rural veterans oral health, water fluorination, and pediatric oral health, among other topics. -- National Rural Health Association https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25049 Wed, 22 Jan 2025 18:00:51 -0600 https://www.ruralhealth.us/getmedia/6e329f41-e23d-4e4a-80f2-c3a37cfba5f6/2025-NROHI-Rural-Oral-Health-Seminar-Toolkit.pdf 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. -- National Rural Health Association https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25047 Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:46:39 -0600 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828397 Provides a spatial analysis of 205,762 active U.S. dentists and examines access to dental clinics cross the country. Includes maps that show county-level dental shortages as well as demographic breakdowns of residents, such as poverty, insurance status, rurality, and more. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24849 Tue, 24 Dec 2024 08:35:07 -0600 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.13713 Assesses outcomes from 2012-2021 of the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, an educational track of the University of Washington School of Dentistry that aims to produce graduates who practice in rural areas of the Pacific Northwest. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by rural or nonrural upbringing. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24258 Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:05:45 -0500 https://www.jsatjournal.com/article/S2949-8759(24)00162-0/fulltext Discusses the risk for young adults in the criminal justice system to misuse substances and develop substance use disorders. Highlights the increased risk for those young adults living in rural communities and explores the efficacy of a program that empowers probation officers to connect their clients to evidence-based substance use services. Details the results of this pilot program in two rural counties in Oregon. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24088 Mon, 16 Sep 2024 18:50:44 -0500 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jphd.12633 Explores levels of "dental anxiety" or fear and anxiety around dental care in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Discusses the historical and cultural factors that contribute to dental distrust, anxiety, and avoidance among AI/AN individuals. Breaks down data by age, sex, and educational attainment, among other factors. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23985 Tue, 03 Sep 2024 18:29:09 -0500 https://www.nationalacademies.org/publications/27761 Report discusses the proceedings of a workshop on the importance of holistic care in oral healthcare education. Highlights the use of interprofessional education and collaborative practices for oral healthcare providers. Explores considerations for rural communities. -- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23830 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:18:37 -0500 https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/23_0315.htm Provides visual comparisons of the relationship between Dental Health Provider Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2020 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) designations on county-level U.S. maps. Includes table showing median county-level SVI score by HPSA designation, broken down by metro, nonmetro, and all county. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23548 Fri, 28 Jun 2024 11:01:48 -0500 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/5/544 Presents a study on the efficacy of an online oral health workshop conducted by pediatric dental residents for Head Start staff, teachers and families in rural and migrant communities. Explores the program's effect on pediatric oral health literacy in rural and migrant communities, as well as the residents' opinions about potentially working in these communities after their residency. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23326 Tue, 28 May 2024 17:35:53 -0500 https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/examining-the-dental-care-crisis-in-america-how-can-we-make-dental-care-more-affordable-and-more-available Recording of a May 16, 2024, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions hearing on the accessibility and affordability of dental care, including in rural areas. Features testimony from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. -- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23260 Fri, 17 May 2024 11:27:18 -0500 https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CareQuest_Institute_Experiences-With-and-Outcomes-of-Oral-Health-Care_3.20.24_FINAL.pdf Report discusses the outcomes and experiences with oral healthcare from patients across the United States surveyed in January - February 2023. Details patients experience with access to care, attitudes about co-location of oral healthcare and other types of care, value-based care, telehealth usage, and discrimination in healthcare, among other topics. Breaks down demographic data of survey participants by age, sex, and urbanicity, among other measures. -- CareQuest Institute for Oral Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/22976 Wed, 10 Apr 2024 10:26:14 -0500 https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CareQuest_Institute_Still-Searching_11.6.23.pdf Report discusses oral health access in rural areas. Compares barriers to care in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Highlights teledentistry use and insurance rates, among other factors. -- CareQuest Institute for Oral Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/22031 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:56:02 -0600 https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CareQuest_Institute_Hunger-Pains_10.8.23.pdf Report discusses the ways food insecurity affects oral health outcomes. Highlights populations suffering from food insecurity and compares rural and urban populations. Details the oral health disparities that correlate with food insecurity. -- CareQuest Institute for Oral Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/22024 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:42:23 -0600 https://www.chwsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OHWRC_Implications-of-COVID-19-on-Safety-Net-Oral-Health-Services_2023_Final.pdf Examines COVID-19 pandemic impacts on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers. Describes the challenges safety-net providers face in delivering care to underserved and rural communities, and examines impacts on safety-net providers offering oral health services through mobile programs. Features statistics on FQHCs offering oral health services, with breakdowns by region. -- Oral Health Workforce Research Center https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/21875 Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:35:20 -0600 https://www.chwsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OHWRC_COVID-19-Impact_Environmental-Scan_2023.pdf Describes the immediate and longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental care delivery, regulation, education, and finance. Mentions rural throughout. -- Oral Health Workforce Research Center https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/21873 Thu, 09 Nov 2023 09:03:58 -0600 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2809200 Evaluated oral health among 2,355,366 Medicare beneficiaries living in nursing homes. Highlights characteristics associated with specific types of dental issues including age, sex, rurality, and more. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/21545 Mon, 25 Sep 2023 15:54:48 -0500 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5q1GcuCfWM Recording of a June 7, 2023, conference session on oral health disparities as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Equity Conference. Features a presentation from the CMS Office of the Administrator comparing differences in rural and urban dental opioid prescribing to adolescent/young adult and adult Medicaid/CHIP enrollees by patient and county characteristics. Transcript available in the video description. -- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/21269 Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:38:23 -0500 https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/ruralpediatricoralhealth_aapd_rpc.pdf Highlights barriers to rural pediatric oral health, along with proposed solutions. Examines Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, oral health literacy, and needed Medicaid reforms. Features model oral health programs in Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, and includes profiles of several rural providers. -- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/20612 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:21:56 -0500 https://dentaltherapyr.wpenginepowered.com/ Presents a series of reports, toolkits, articles, and other resources on dental therapy from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/20587 Tue, 18 Apr 2023 15:49:57 -0500