Oral Health Workforce
A rapidly aging generation of dentists is not being replaced quickly enough by new graduates to avoid sharp declines in the nation’s oral health workforce over the next five years.
While dental hygienists and dental assistants have kept pace with population growth, the Nation already faces a severe shortage of dental providers to care for underserved people. Only about 20 percent of the nation’s 179,000 practicing dentists accept Medicaid. And of those practitioners who do, fewer than 8,500 devote a substantial part of their practice to serving the poor, the chronically ill, and rural residents.
Scholarships
National Health Service Corps Scholarship pays tuition, fees, other education costs and a living stipend in exchange for at least 2 years of service at an approved facility in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area. Dental students are eligible to apply.
Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students funds health professions schools, which in turn award scholarships to full-time, financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The schools determine student need and select recipients. Scholarships may cover tuition, reasonable educational expenses and reasonable living expenses. Students apply at participating schools.
Loans
Loans for Disadvantaged Students funds health professions schools, which in turn make long-term, low-interest rate loans to full-time, financially needy students. Students apply at participating schools.
Health Professions Student Loan funds health professions schools, which in turn make long-term, low interest rate loans to full-time, financially needy students. Students apply at participating schools.
Loan Repayment
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment provides as much as $145,000 towards student loan repayment. The program starts with an initial award of $50,000 for 2 years service at an approved facility in a Health Professional Shortage Area. Dentists and dental hygienists are eligible to apply.
Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides as much as $40,000, plus a tax benefit, towards repayment of student loans in exchange for 2 years service on the faculty of an accredited health professions college or university. Dental faculty are eligible to apply. In 2010, pediatric dentists will benefit additional funding.
Workforce Development
State Oral Health Workforce Program funds State government agencies (or other governor-appointed organizations) to improve access to care in their designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas through low- or no-interest loans, loan forgiveness and repayment, and other dental education and service efforts.
Geriatric Training for Physicians, Dentists and Behavioral and Mental Health Professionalsfunds health professions schools to provide support for geriatric training projects to train physicians, dentists and behavioral and mental health professionals who plan to teach geriatric medicine, geriatric dentistry, or geriatric behavioral or mental health.
Residency Training in General and Pediatric Dentistry funds the planning, development, operation of, and participation (including financial assistants to residents) in approved residency and advanced education programs in general or pediatric dentistry.
Dental Public Health Residency Training funds the planning, development, operation of, and participation (including financial assistants to residents) in approved residency programs in dental public health.