WA State needs more dental professionals in every community
Over the past years, demand for dental health professionals is at an all-time high here in Washington state. There is a critical workforce shortage of dental hygienists and dental assistants state-wide. This shortage often contributes to longer patient waits for important preventive dental health services – especially in rural areas.
The oral health workforce gap is an equity issue
This shortage often contributes to longer patient waits for important preventive dental health services – especially in rural areas.
According to a 2022 American Medical Association Journal of Ethics article, nationally most dentists are located in urban areas, whereas only 14% of dentists practice in rural areas where 20% of the U.S. population lives.
The situation is also dire among historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, and in other medically underserved communities.
More than 70% of the American dental workforce is white. A 2023 report from the American Dental Association shows the dental workforce has low diversity: 19.8% is Asian, 6% Hispanic, 3.8% Black and 0.5% American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.
Research shows that patients fare better with diverse healthcare teams, including improved patient communication, preventive care, and patient satisfaction.
To support oral health equity and continuing oral health access for all, Delta Dental of Washington contributes to the state’s dental hygiene and professional education programs including:
$800,000 grant to Peninsula College to help fund its new Dental Hygiene, Associate of Applied Science–Transfer (AAS-T) degree.
- The new dental hygiene program will expand access to oral healthcare and living-wage careers on the North Olympic Peninsula.
- The program helps expand access to high-quality dental hygiene education for communities in Clallam and Jefferson counties (currently underrepresented in the dental hygienist workforce).
- Students will learn in small, inclusive classes and gain real-world experience in the on-campus Peninsula College Dental Hygiene Clinic, a public-serving clinic which will offer low-cost dental services to the community.
$1 million grant to Eastern Washington University (EWU) in support of the university’s dental hygiene program on the Spokane Health Peninsula campus.
- The innovative new EWU dental hygiene education hub will be part of the Spokane Health Peninsula campus, creating a vibrant space devoted to research, development and the advancement of health sciences, as well as offering proximity to major health care education centers.
- The unique collaborative environment also includes EWU’s School of Nursing, the University of Washington School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership, as well as the UW School of Dentistry’s RIDE (Regional Initiatives in Dental Education) program which provides hands-on education for dental students in providing dental care to rural and underserved populations in the state.
- Dental therapists, which have been prevalent in other countries and tribal communities for many years, are trained to provide a mid-level role of oral health care – such as nurse practitioners or physician assistants in medicine – freeing up time for dentists to focus on more complex care.
$12 million in funding to support the state’s second dental school at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU).
- Located in Yakima, PNWU is the first in the nation to offer students three years of immersive training at community health centers serving rural and other medically underserved communities.
- The dental school’s new home is named Delta Dental Equity Hall in recognition of the shared commitment to improving equitable access to dental care statewide.
- The school aims to help increase equitable access to dental care. It will be uniquely focused on serving rural and other medically underserved communities.
$1.5 million to help relocate the Shoreline Community College dental hygiene program to the UW School of Dentistry.
- Delta Dental of Washington Clinic at the UW School of Dentistry is operated by the Shoreline Community College dental hygiene program, in partnership with the UW School of Dentistry.
- The clinic provides more than 1,000 clinical visits annually at reduced-cost or sliding fee scale for those who are low-income, Medicaid clients, or uninsured.
- The advanced hygienist students, working side by side with fourth-year UW dental students, provide quality care with direct supervision from registered dental hygienists and licensed dentists.
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