Dental/Oral Health
​Publications

Still Searching: Meeting Oral Health Needs in Rural Settings

Rural populations have worse oral health care access, utilization, and outcomes in comparison with their urban and suburban counterparts, according to a research report by CareQuest Institute. 

​Teledentistry Regulation and Policy Guidance

​A Toolkit to Promote Access and Quality Care Through Teledentistry
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The State of Veteran Oral Health in Iowa

This report assesses the oral health status of veterans living in Iowa using quantitative and qualitative data and noting gaps in available information and resources. It explores:
  • Oral health outcomes, including prevalence of dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss
  • Access to dental care, including insurance coverage and cost of care
  • Associated chronic disease conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
  • Cost of care, potential cost savings, areas of opportunity, and outstanding gaps
  • Intersectional inequities experienced by specific populations of veterans

Assessment of Dentist Participation in Public Insurance Programs for Children in the US

The objective of this publication is to assess dental care availability for children in the US by public insurance participation, rural-urban setting, and dentist taxonomy (general, pediatric, or specialized).

Dentists seek first boost in Iowa Medicaid reimbursement rate in 20 years.​

​​Dentists are urging Iowa Lawmakers to plug an extra 31-and-a-half million dollars in Iowa's Medicaid budget to cover dental care. Laurie Traetow, executive director of the Iowa Dental Association, says for the past 20 years, there’s been no change in what the state pays dentists who provide care to Iowans covered by Medicaid. 

​Delta Dental of Iowa Community Impact Report 

Addressing dental workforce challenges at the state level through financial incentives, educational innovation, and teledentistry initiatives

To address access to dental care and oral health inequity issues comprehensively this project aimed to 1) develop, test and demonstrate a community-based recruitment of oral health workforce capacity in severely underserved areas of Oregon, 2) develop a retention toolkit with the potential to increase the longevity of providers in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSAs), 3) expand the pipeline of oral health professionals willing to practice in rural underserved counties of Oregon through experiential learning, and 4) demonstrate that a teledentistry model would be applicable in severely underserved areas.

Dental workforce wage and job counts data by state.

​The dashboard below represents wages and job counts (or supply) of dental hygienists, dental assistants, and general practitioner dentists in each state for the years 2001-2022. 

Dental workforce by age, gender, race and ethnicity, and more.

The interactive dashboard provides the profile of your state's dentist workforce