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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Dental workforce

New Dental Provider Orientation
Presentation template provides guidance for new or prospective dentists working in the Indian Health Service (IHS). Details the scope and mission of IHS and highlights the hiring process and demands of oral health providers. Presents general information regarding IHS facilities across the country.
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Oral Health: Targeting Rural Areas
Compiles articles from a special issue of the Texas Public Health Journal focusing on rural oral health in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Covers emergency department use in Texas for oral health needs in rural versus urban counties, geriatric oral health and workforce options such as teledentistry, a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment project under a state waiver targeting rural communities, partnerships to reach underserved areas and pregnant women, and oral health initiatives in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Citation: Texas Public Health Journal, 71(2), 2-16
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Public Health Association
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Consumer Survey of Barriers to and Facilitators of Access to Oral Health Services
Results of a 2018 survey of U.S. adults to examine factors contributing to oral health disparities. Features statistics including geographic distribution of respondents and distribution of self-reported need for dental care, with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban location.
Author(s): Simona Surdu, Margaret Langelier, Sohini Dhar, Mia Stufflebeam
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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2017 Vermont Dentists by Rational Service Areas: Population per FTE
County level map of dentists by population service area in the state of Vermont.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Iowa Dentist Workforce Atlas, 1997-2016: 20 Years of the Iowa Dentist Tracking System
Provides detailed data on Iowa's dentists over time, including rural/urban comparisons. Addresses workforce trends, shortage areas, county-level data, historical data, and dentist migration.
Author(s): Raymond A. Kuthy, Susan C. McKernan, Julie C. Reynolds
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Social Science Innovation
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Dental Health Aides in Alaska: A Qualitative Assessment to Improve Pediatric Oral Health in Remote Rural Villages
Evaluates the response to oral health disparities and access issues in remote Alaska Native villages by pediatric dental health aides. Draws data from interviews with patient focus groups, providers, and individual community members. Discusses barriers and strengths for pediatric dental health aides, including cultural competency, program sustainability, and expanded access to preventative oral health services.
Author(s): Kirsten Senturia, Louis Fiset, Kim Hort, et al.
Citation: Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 46(4), 416-424
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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Strengthening the Oral Health System in Rural Minnesota
Provides an overview of oral health systems in rural Minnesota. Includes information on the current dental workforce, models of care, emerging dental professions, and the cost of dental services. Discusses recommendations to support oral health systems by improving access, increasing the dental workforce, and creating new methods of delivering rural oral healthcare.
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Closing the Gap on Dental HPSAs: Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Dental Therapy in Minnesota
Reports on the dental therapist workforce in Minnesota offering information on education, certification, licensure, and practice. Discusses the financial viability of dental practices employing dental therapists and how dental therapists can increase access to oral care in rural areas.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Improving Rural Oral Healthcare Access
Policy position brief discussing the oral and systemic health connection and the dental workforce shortage. Highlights the need for interprofessional education and offers recommendations for improving access to rural oral healthcare.
Author(s): Joni Nelson, Jacob Thatcher, Joy Williams
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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