Oral health stats from UND Center for Rural Health

Latest oral health stats from the UND Center for Rural Health

Looking for the latest in oral health care statistics in North Dakota? The Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota has a series of fact sheets done this year regarding items such as the distribution of dental workforce in the state, the state of oral health care in North Dakota long-term care facilities, and expanding the dental team in North Dakota.
Highlights include:

• Not only are North Dakota dentists the busiest in the nation, they are disproportionately located in urban communities and counties.
• Oral health was an identified priority among participating LTC facilities. This remains a challenge for a large majority of LTC facilities who have not yet implemented systems to meet the oral health needs of residents.
• More than 50 countries have improved access to dental care by allowing dentists to incorporate Dental Therapists (DT) into their teams to provide routine preventive and restorative care. In the United States, 19 states have either passed or are exploring this type of oral health workforce provider.

A growing coalition for increased dental access

A powerful voice for women in the state has unanimously signed on to support the push for increased access to dental care in the state. Earlier this month the ND Women’s Network joined the growing North Dakotans for Dental Access coalition. Welcome aboard!

Here is a list of all the members of the coalition:
            AARP North Dakota
            Community Action Partnership of ND
            Family Voices of ND
            North Dakota Dental Hygienists Association
            North Dakota Hospital Association
            North Dakota Nurse Practitioners Association
            North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project
            North Dakota Public Health Association
            North Dakota Women’s Network                      
            Northland Health Centers
            Americans for Prosperity
            Americans for Tax Reform

If you know of a group or organization you think would support the effort in North Dakota to increase access to affordable, routine dental care, please let us know at info@nddentalaccess.com.

 
Answering general questions about dental therapy
Do you know someone who is looking for easy answers to their questions about dental therapy? 5 Dental Therapy FAQs is a quick fact sheet that includes details about other states that have made policy changes allowing dentists to hire mid-level dental providers, including Alaska, Minnesota, and others.