North Dakota Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities North Dakota Department of Health, Oral Health Program 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Department 301 Bismarck, ND 58505-0200 Cheri Kiefer, RN, BSN, LRD Phone (701) 328-4930 ckiefer@nd.gov Oral Health Program | Department of Health (nd.gov) Number of years of support requested: 4 Requesting $400,000/year The North Dakota (ND) “Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities” will implement an innovative collaborative project designed to expand the oral health workforce in dental health professional shortage areas (HSPAs) and other communities of need and increase access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations. The specific measurable objectives the project will accomplish are the following: 1. By August 31, 2026, ND will increase the number of rotation sites for dental students from one to four, quadrupling the students able to participate in rotations. 2. By August 31, 2026, the results of the 2022 workforce assessment will inform future activities that address the impact of COVID-19 on the oral health workforce to adapt and respond to future public health emergencies and training on community mitigation strategies. 3. By August 31, 2026, increase partnerships with dental providers to ensure all children in the school-based sealant and ND Best in Class program receive dental screenings and care coordination services; and the long-term care (LTC) oral health protocol tool-kit “Standardized Dental Screening for New Nursing Home Residents: A Promising Practice Guide,” at https://ruralhealth.und.edu/assets/1123-4538/standardized-dental-screening-for-new-nursing-home-residents.pdf will be implemented in all LTC settings. The ND Oral Health Program (OHP), North Dakota Dental Association (NDDA), North Dakota Dental Foundation, and ND Medicaid are committed to increasing and sustain oral health services in Dental HPSAs. This will be accomplished by: • B
uilding and fostering public-private partnerships between the reestablished ND Oral Health Coalition members and other organizations to increase recruitment and retention of dental health professionals. • Partnering with the NDDA, Red River Valley Dental Access Program, critical access hospitals in western/central ND, and oral health professionals to establish a new dental clinic serving low-income, uninsured, or ND Medicaid-eligible individuals who have urgent dental pain and do not have access to a dentist. • Enhancing oral healthcare services for North Dakotans across the life span by implementing new delivery methods for sustaining SEAL!ND for children ages 4-18 years, establish a new preschool oral health screening project in partnership with the ND Best in Class Program, and establish a new admissions screening program for individuals entering LTC facilities to enhance oral healthcare services.