Georgia Dentists for Rural Areas Assistance Program

Lauren Brenneman
lauren.brenneman1@dch.ga.gov
404.463.1057

The Dentists for Rural Areas Assistance Program provides loan repayment assistance for dental education student loan debt for dentists who agree to practice full time in a rural community in Georgia for a period of 12 months.

The service contract requires a commitment to practice dentistry for a minimum of 40 clinical hours per week in a Georgia county with a population of 50,000 or less. The practice time requirement can be split between two or more counties as long as none of the practice location counties exceeds a population limit of 50,000.

The dentist may own the practice or be employed by a hospital, group dental practice, community health center, or other healthcare organization. The dentist must participate in the Medicaid program, must agree to accept new patients insured by Medicaid, and actively treat Medicaid patients.

Applicants must:

• Be a citizen, legal resident, or foreign national of the United States
• Have satisfied all requirements for unrestricted dental licensure by the Georgia Board of Dentistry
• Be a graduate of an accredited graduate dental education program located in the U.S.
• Hold or be in the process of obtaining a Medicaid Provider Number in Georgia and actively treat Medicaid patients

Up to $25,000 a year in return for a 12-month service commitment.

Recipients may receive up to 4 awards with a maximum total student loan repayment of $100,000.

A link to the application materials is available on the program website.

Submit the completed application through the online form.