The largest community health center-based
postdoctoral dental residency program in the world
One Mission: Improving Lives
To develop and grow national and international oral health programs that set global
standards for technologically advanced, culturally competent, patient-centered dental
education; are grounded in service and collaboration; and deliver exceptional oral health
care to the world’s neediest citizens and its most underserved communities.
The Disturbing Dental Divide
in America
Oral health is integral in the
physical health and well-being of
people of all ages, yet millions of
adults and children in America lack
access to affordable and accessible
dental care.
Untreated tooth decay, one of the
most preventable and treatable
chronic conditions, frequently
leads to infection, inflammation
and other serious decline in overall
health—now thought to link to
other chronic conditions, such as
diabetes, heart and lung disease and
stroke. Low income individuals and
families are two times more likely to
be at risk than their higher income
cohorts. Lack of resources and high
2
cost-sharing, either through dental
insurance or out-of-pocket, is a
major barrier to oral healthcare for
many Americans—impacting both
low-income and middle-income
families. As a result, Americans have
turned to critical care solutions—
nationally, more than 2.1 million
people showed up in emergency
rooms with dental pain in 2010, a
150% increase since 2009, according
to the National Hospital Ambulatory
Medical Care Survey. Nearly 80% of
those emergency room visits were
for largely preventable and common
dental conditions like abscesses
and caries. The cost to the health
system was more than $2 billion
that year. In addition, oral health
issues caused significant productivity
decline in that same year—students
missed 51 million hours of school
and employed workers missed 164
million hours of work. Unfortunately,
programs like Medicaid and Medicare
provide little support to those in
need. Even the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) left large gaps in addressing
dental care for adults by leaving
41% without a dental safety net;
the ACA and Medicaid made some
progress in addressing dental needs
of low income children by instituting
covering in 2014 of comprehensive
dental benefits. That said, 30% of
children with private health insurance
are still uninsured for dental care.