Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities - North Dakota continues to face persistent oral health workforce shortages, especially in rural, frontier, and Tribal communities designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas(HPSAs).) Without a dental school and with limited training capacity, the state struggles to recruit and retain dental professionals, resulting in longstanding gaps in preventive, restorative, and community-based services. Building on more than a decade of HRSA-supported progress, the North Dakota Oral Health Program proposes a statewide, innovation-driven workforce pathway aligned with HRSA-26-084 Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities (SOHW) allowable activities 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 13C. North Dakota is implementing a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the oral health workforce and improve access to care across the lifespan. The project introduces five coordinated initiatives that modernize recruitment, training, prevention, and long-term care service delivery. Together, these initiatives create a sustainable system that supports children, adults, Tribal communities, rural residents, and older adults. Key strategies include: 1. Statewide Workforce Coordination: Establishing North Dakota’s first Recruitment and Retention Workgroup that brings together state agencies, Tribal nations, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), professional associations, and workforce partners. The workgroup will coordinate policy, address Dental HPSA shortages, and align recruitment and retention strategies across systems. 2. Expanded Community-Based Training: Increasing clinical training capacity in rural, Tribal, and safety-net settings through development of additional training sites and streamlined faculty and preceptor systems. This expansion strengthens the workforce pipeline and supports provider retention in high-need areas. 3. Prevention and Early Intervention: Integrating early childhood screenings, school-based oral health services, and community engagement to improve children’s oral health while also promoting awareness of dental career opportunities among youth. 4. Workforce Pathway Camps: Launching North Dakota’s first dental-focused youth career programs, including culturally responsive camps in Tribal communities, to build long-term, homegrown workforce pathways. 5. Improved Long-Term Care Access: Implementing an oral health model for long-term care facilities that standardizes screening and referral processes, strengthens workforce training, establishes oral health champions, and explores the use of tele-dentistry to expand access in rural HPSAs. Collectively, these initiatives shift North Dakota from isolated, one-time workforce interventions to a coordinated, statewide system that integrates recruitment, training, prevention, and service delivery. The model supports the oral health workforce from early exposure through professional practice and healthy aging. North Dakota is well positioned for success due to strong partnerships with FQHCs, Tribal nations, educational institutions, statewide workforce agencies, and professional organizations. Through coordinated implementation, the project will expand clinical training capacity, broaden prevention reach, improve provider recruitment, enhance access in rural and Tribal communities, and reduce disparities – advancing HRSA’s goals and supporting North Dakota’s commitment to equitable oral health for all residents.
