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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Innovative Solutions to Address the Oral Health Care Workforce Shortage: Insights from Michigan
Discusses the impact of the oral healthcare workforce shortage on rural communities and other communities in need in Michigan. Provides examples, strategies, and collaborative efforts of State Medicaid agencies to address the shortage.
Author(s): Jade Kissi
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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North Carolina Dental Health - Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)
County-level map of Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in North Carolina, with shadings showing ranges of HPSA scores.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Office of Rural Health
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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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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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Snapshot of Rural Health in Colorado, 2025
Provides an overview of rural health in Colorado. Includes data and statistics on a variety of indicators, such as education, poverty, rural economy, healthcare coverage and access, rural health information technology, behavioral health, oral health, emergency medical services (EMS) and workforce shortages. Includes five regional snapshots from around the state that are free to download with name and organization affiliation.
Additional links: 2025 Regional Snapshots of Rural Health
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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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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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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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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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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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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