Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities - The New York State Department of Health, through Health Research, Inc., proposes New York Advances Innovative Workforce Strategies to Expand Oral Health to Dental Deserts, a five-year initiative to strengthen the oral health workforce and expand access to preventive dental services in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas across New York State. Nearly 2.8 million New Yorkers live in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, where only approximately 16 percent of the estimated dental workforce need is currently met. HRSA estimates that 588 additional dental practitioners would be needed to eliminate these shortage designations. Children and adolescents in these communities face additional barriers related to poverty, transportation, limited provider availability, Medicaid participation, caregiver work schedules, and difficulty establishing a dental home. Only 46.2 percent of Medicaid-enrolled New York children and adolescents ages 2 through 20 received a preventive dental visit during the most recently reported year. These gaps increase the risk of untreated tooth decay, pain, missed school, and preventable urgent or emergency care. New York will recruit and retain dentists and dental hygienists serving school-based and community health settings. The project will place and support dental students, residents, and advanced trainees in community-based clinical rotations located in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Participants will receive mentorship, professional development, recruitment assistance, information about loan repayment and other incentives, and opportunities to build professional and community connections. The project expects to place approximately 50 trainees over five years and aims for at least 25 percent to obtain an ongoing position in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area within 12 months of completing their education or training. New York will partner with academic dental programs to provide accessible continuing dental education, including distance-based learning, for dentists, dental hygienists, residents, trainees, and community-based oral health teams. Training will respond to workforce-identified needs and will strengthen clinical knowledge, professional support, and retention. The project will expand community-based prevention by supporting implementation of New York’s new Registered Dental Hygienist Collaborative Practice model. New York will develop guidance, training, and implementation tools to help dental hygienists obtain certification and provide preventive services in authorized school and community settings under collaborative agreements with dentists. New York will initially partner with the Eastman Institute for Oral Health and will expand engagement to additional academic dental programs. School-Based Health Centers and their Federally Qualified Health Center, community health center, and hospital operators will serve as clinical, employment, and preventive service partners. The Center for Health Workforce Studies will support evaluation in collaboration with New York State Department of Health data and program staff. The project will use quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate trainee placement, recruitment, retention, continuing education, collaborative-practice implementation, and preventive services. Findings will guide continuous quality improvement and development of a sustainability plan that connects successful activities with New York’s workforce, school-based health, dental, and state-funded oral health infrastructure.
