Tribal Oral Health Newsletter | |
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The Latest Quarterly News on Oral Health from Across Indian Country | |
Dental Health Professional Shortage Area Shows Need for Dental Therapy | |
Tribal Dental Therapy News | |
CareQuest Institute and Native-led Organizations Will Host a Free Webinar- American Indian and Alaska Native Oral Health: Challenges and Opportunities | |
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Join CareQuest for an upcoming free webinar on March 30 and receive CE credit.
CareQuest Institute and Native-led organizations will feature this webinar to learn about the findings and recommendations from a new white paper, “American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Face a ‘Disproportionate Burden of Oral Disease’: Reversing Inequities Involves Challenges and Opportunities.”
Presenters are:
Moderator & Presenter
Cristin Haase, DMD, MPH, President, Society of American Indian Dentists
Julie Seward, RDH, MEd, Oral Health Programs Manager, Southern Plains Tribal Health Board
Miranda Davis, DDS, MPH, Director, Dental Health Aide Program, Tribal Community Health Provider Program
Kari Ann Kuntzelman, Dental Health Aide Education Specialist and Dental Therapist, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Immediate Past President of the American Dental Therapy Association
The panel of experts will also share ongoing culturally and community-driven strategies to improve AI/AN oral health.
Register for this free webinar (and earn 1 CE credit) on the CareQuest Institute website.
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National Partnership for Dental Therapy Hosting Webinar Introducing Dental Therapy
Join the National Partnership for Dental Therapy on Friday, April 7 from 1-2 p.m. ET for a free webinar on how dental therapists can create a more accessible and equitable oral health care system in your state.
Featured presenters are:
• Laura (Hale) Brannon, Project Manager, Dental Therapy at Community Catalyst
• Claire Roesler, RDH, MDT, Dental Therapist and Board Member of the American Dental Therapy Association
• Parrish Ravelli (moderator), Associate Director, Dental Access Project at Community Catalyst
Dental therapists, which are licensed oral health professionals who provide routine care like exams and fillings, have been working in the U.S. for almost 20 years and are now authorized to work in at least some settings in 13 states but many folks still don’t understand their role in the oral health care team. As more and more states are authorizing dental therapists and the federal government calls for their expansion, this webinar will serve as a primer for advocates, policymakers and dental professionals that are new to the topic of dental therapy.
The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be shared with all registrants.
Please contact Laura (Hale) Brannon at lbrannon@communitycatalyst.org with any questions.
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Dental Therapy Program Shows Success in Alaska Native Community
By Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
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A study, published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, tracks a decade’s worth of dental therapy services provided in the region of Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Yup’ik and highly rural region in western Alaska. It found a big increase in early intervention, indicating a reduction in the need for more serious treatments like tooth extractions.
From 2006 to 2015, the study found, there was a “substantial” increase in diagnostic and preventive dental care in the region, corresponding to the phase-in of dental therapy practices. There was also an increase, though not as big, in the number of restorative services provided annually.
Dr. Donald Chi of the University of Washington worked in the past as a traveling pediatric dentist in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region.Chi said the findings give useful information about the effectiveness of dental therapy, which was pioneered in New Zealand. Dental therapy is now allowed in about a dozen U.S. states that followed Alaska’s action, with the intent of increasing basic service in areas with a chronic lack of dental care.
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“All eyes are on states where dental therapy is operating and largely working,” Chi said. Eyes are on Alaska in particular, he said. “In terms of long-term data, Alaska’s the state with the longest-running program.” There are currently 28 dental therapists working in Alaska, said Dr. Sarah Shoffstall-Cone, director of the Ilisagvik College program.
In the early years of dental therapy practice in Alaska, students had to go to New Zealand to become trained, she said. Starting in 2007, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) partnered with the University of Washington to do training in Anchorage, she said. The Ilisagvik College partnership began about seven years ago, she said.
Two years ago, the ANTHC program became the first U.S. dental therapy program to be accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation.
The Alaska model is being followed elsewhere. In Washington state, Skagit Valley College has launched a similar dental therapy education program.
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Traverse City, MI-RELEASE DATE: MARCH 9, 2023
-In February, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) and Bay Mills, a tribally-controlled Upper Peninsula community college in Brimley, Michigan, signed an articulation agreement that will allow Bay Mills students to transfer to NMC’s dental assistant program after their first year.
NMC’s yearlong dental assistant curriculum allows them to sit for the state exam to become a registered dental assistant (RDA). NMC Dental Assistant Director Beckie Wooters will make a recruiting visit to Bay Mills on April 17.
“With a registered dental assistant, a dentist can see about 60 percent more patients. They can do more clinical procedures under the dentist’s supervision,” said Dr. Jessica Rickert, a now-retired Traverse City area dentist who hired NMC graduates in her practice.
Rickert is also the first female Native American dentist in the United States, and remains the only one in Michigan. She now consults with insurer Delta Dental of Michigan and leads Anishinaabe Dental Outreach, whose goal is to improve dental health in Native communities. She saw an opportunity to connect NMC and Bay Mills to better serve the Upper Peninsula, where the shortage of dental professionals is especially acute.
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“The scarcity of timely dental care is causing serious hardship,” Rickert said of the U.P. “They have a wonderful program at NMC. Dental assisting is such a great career, and it’s really fulfilling and it’s necessary. Let’s make this happen.”
“Our communities need more dental professionals of any kind. This seems like a really good fit,” agreed Diana McKenzie, dean of science and allied health at Bay Mills, which enrolls about 600 students. About 62 percent are Native American. Among more than 315,000 dental assistants nationwide, Rickert said only 0.7% are American Indian or Alaska Native.
Natalia Chugunov, chair of the Bay Mills science department, said she hopes the partnership can benefit tribal health centers, too.
“We try to help both the community, our college and our students,” she said.
Wooters said the agreement is another way to boost enrollment. NMC’s dental assistant program currently has 13 students, and can accommodate 24. Need is great in the lower peninsula as well, she said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Northwestern Michigan College
Beckie Wooters
231-995-1240
bwooters@nmc.edu
Bay Mills Community College
Natalia Chugunov, M.D.
Science Department Chair and Faculty
(906) 248- 8425
nchugunov@bmcc.edu
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Destination Dental School Applications Now Open for 2023.
Native Students Interested in Dental School Encouraged to Apply
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The Destination Dental School is an intense gateway to dental school for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students identifying from Underrepresented Minority Status:
Underrepresented minorities are defined as groups that are underrepresented in the dental workforce. They include individuals who identify as:
- Black/African American
- Hispanic or Latino/Latinx
- American Indian or Alaska Native (students who identify as AI/AN may only apply to one SDM pathway program, Destination Dental School OR the Native American Pre-Dental Student Gateway Program)
- Native Hawaiian
- Pacific Islander
DDS is a summer program that includes both virtual and in-person components. The schedule for the 2023 program will be annoucned soon. Fellows are required to attend all virtual and in-person programming to maintain their status in the program and be eligible for DDS program benefits.
- Stipend to cover travel and lodging expenses
- Reimbursement for one Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
- DAT study resources
- A waived application fee to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
The 2023 application cycle is now open!
Applications for the 2023 cycle will be accepted between February 2nd and March 31st 2023. Please reach out to Ms. Jessica Scates (jmscates@buffalo.edu) if you have any questions.
Apply Here
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Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium with the Illisagvik Tribal College Opens Applications for Dental Health Aide Therapy Program | |
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Dental Health Aide Therapy program under the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).
The ANTHC partners with the Illisagvik Tribal College Dental Therapy program and offers an Associate’s Degree in Dental Therapy.
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico passed legislation and approved Dental Health Aide Therapy (DHAT) Programs in their states.
Dental Health Aide Therapists (DHATs) provide professional and culturally competent dental care and prevention services, fighting the decades-long epidemic of oral suffering and disease around rural Alaska and improving access to dental care for Alaska Native people.
A DHAT is a dental team member who works under the supervision of a licensed dentist providing a limited range of services. Those services include patient and community-based preventive dental services, basic restorations and uncomplicated extractions.
The Alaska Dental Therapy Educational Program (ADTEP) is two years in length, followed by at least three months of preceptorship with a supervising dentist. Successful completion of these requirements is needed prior to certification by the Alaska Community Health Aide Program Certification Board.
A DHAT’s education provides them with the skills to meet the majority of basic dental care needs in rural Alaska Native communities.
ANTHC also provides DHAT Educational opportunities for First Nations students from Canada under the Jay Treaty.
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dəxʷx̌ayəbus-Dental Therapy at Skagit Valley College 2023 Applications Open for New Cohort of Dental Therapy Students | |
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The Skagit Valley College (SVC), in partnership with Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC), developed the first Dental Therapy (DT) Education Program in the State of Washington to address the on-going oral health workforce disparities among underrepresented minorities specifically, the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
The name of the DT program is dəxʷx̌ayəbus, which is a Lushootseed phrase pronounced as dahf-hi-ya-buus and translates to a Place of Smiles. Lushootseed is a common language of coastal Salish tribes, made up of many local dialects of Native Americans throughout the Puget Sound region.
This new dental professional education program is co-located at Skagit Valley College’s Mt. Vernon Campus and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s Dental Clinic. The program aims in delivering “smiles” because smiles are strong indicators of personal confidence as well as physical and mental health. When a person smiles with confidence, they exude a positive reaction to those around them and more importantly, within themselves.
For additional information about the Dental Therapy program, visit the Catalog Program Information page.
Inquiries can be sent to dentaltherapy@skagit.edu.
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What is the Status of My State? | |
Updates from Capitol Hill and the Administration | |
Bipartisan Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act Introduced in Senate | |
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act.
The Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act would authorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop and implement an evidence-based outreach strategy to promote oral health literacy in rural and underserved communities.
This legislation will also create a five-year oral health literacy campaign to set Americans up for a lifetime of wellness and create a program to ensure children develop and maintain healthy habits into adulthood.
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Oral Health Champion's Corner | |
This issue’s Oral Health Champion is Sarah Chagnon, a dental therapist with Swinomish Indian Tribal Community! | |
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Sarah has been a dental therapist for her Tribe since July 2019. In that role, she provides routine preventative and basic restorative care for patients, alongside the dentist, dental hygienists, and dental assistants on her team.
The dental team at Swinomish recruited Sarah to become a dental therapist after letting her shadow the tribe’s first dental therapist. After only one day, Sarah was convinced: she wanted to serve her Tribe in this role. She moved with her family to Alaska, enrolling in the Alaska Dental Therapy Education program.
Going to school full-time with a five-year-old and a one-year-old wasn’t easy, and she remembers the support system she had from her Tribe, the program, and her family. When Sarah graduated, she came back home and began to work for her own community.
Chagnon specializes in youth outreach, and she loves educating youngsters and making them feel confident about their teeth. “I want everyone to enjoy their smile,” she says. She has gotten hugs in the grocery store from her patients who are thankful for the care, trust, and confidence she gives them.
As is the case in many Tribal health professionals, Sarah has multiple roles at Swinomish. She heads up the Tribe’s Health Promotion & Disease Prevention work, and she mentors the current cohort of dental therapy students at Skagit Valley College—the second accredited dental therapy school in the US—and is happy that the students have an education opportunity closer to home.
Sarah is also the incoming President of the American Dental Therapy Association. In this role, she hopes to be the voice for her profession and raise awareness about the great work dental therapists do every day.
Thanks for keeping Indian Country smiling, Sarah!
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The Latest from State Legislatures | |
Dental Therapy can Improve Oklahoma’s Oral Health, Help Address Dental Workforce Shortage. | |
Oklahoma- Progress continues for allowing dental therapists to practice in Oklahoma. This would significantly increase access oral health services which these professionals — who provide basic preventive and restorative treatment to children and adults — can bring care directly to people where they are, such as in schools, nursing homes, tribal communities, and rural areas. They could support other dental professionals working in these settings.
An article discussing Dental therapy expansion, written byMichelle Dennison, Vice President of Policies and Prevention at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, and Julie Seward, the Oral Health Programs Manager at the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. Expresses how dental therapists can alleviate some of the oral health care provider shortages in Oklahoma. Currently, the Oklahoma Dental Board recognizes only dentists and dental hygienists as oral health care providers.
In the upcoming legislative session, Oklahoma lawmakers can create a framework for licensing dental therapists. To ensure that expansion of dental therapy is most effective at answering the needs of one of the state’s largest underserved communities, the development process for this new dental provider group would require close collaboration with Tribes and Indian health organizations (Indian health service, tribal health, and urban Indian health).
-More about this article, dental therapy and the oral health status of Oklahoma from the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, the Native Oral Health Network, partnering with the National Indian Health Board in leading the way for oral health solutions in Oklahoma tibes, visit. “Expanding the Oral Health Workforce – A Dental Therapy Toolkit for Oklahoma” and the extended Policy Brief: Oral Health Policy and Improvement Strategies in Oklahoma.
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Montana Legislation Recently Passed HB 582 to the Senate. This bill is to Extend the Sunset Date for the Community Health Aide Program | |
Montana- Legislation in Montana recently passed HB 582 to the Senate.
Sponsored by Montona Represntative Jonothan Windy Boy, this bill is to extend the sunset date for the community health aid program, to be established in Montana.
In 1968, the Indian Health Services established the Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) in rural Alaska to increase access to quality health care in rural communities and Indian Country. CHAP provides authorization to increase access to quality health care in rural communities and Indian Country.
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Brunswick Community College Announces the Addition of a Dental Assisting Program | |
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North Carolina-Brunswick Community College (BCC) will soon be helping to fulfill. Beginning this fall, Dental Assisting will become part of BCC’s Health Sciences offerings, thanks to a $424,850 High-Cost Workforce Grant from the State Board of Community Colleges.
The program involves a partnership with the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine Community Service Learning Center in Bolivia, where students will complete the practical part of their training. “We are incredibly excited to offer this new opportunity to our students and community,” said Dr. Kevin Lee, BCC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer. “Our partnership with ECU will provide a unique opportunity for our students to learn in a clinical lab setting with actual patients, right here in Brunswick County. Combined with classroom instruction, students can sit for certification in just two semesters.”
The BCC program will consist of 325 instructional hours and begin this fall with a class of 12 students per semester. The college is one of 14 colleges awarded funding based on their full-time enrollment.
For more information on the program and how to apply, contact OneStop Student Services in the Administration Building on BCC’s main campus. You can also reach them by email at onestop@brunswickcc.edu or by phone at
(910) 755-7320.
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2023 Washingtons Dental Therapy Expansion Bill was Introduced January 20,2023 and Passed to the Senate | |
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Washington- HB 1678, currently passed the Washington State Senate . This bill relates to establishing and authorizing the profession of dental therapists to practice in federally qualified health centers.
It is also the intent of the legislature to provide an efficient and reasonable pathway, through a limited license, for federally certified dental health aide therapists or tribally licensed dental therapists to become Washington state licensed dental therapists.
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Funding Opportunities and Resources | |
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The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) scholarships for AI/AN students are now open.
AISES, founded in 1977, promotes STEM academic fields interests in high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate Native American students. AISES supports 230 affiliated pre-college schools, 196 chartered college and university chapters, 3 tribal chapters, and 18 professional chapters in the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to awarding nearly $12 million and counting in academic scholarships, AISES offers internships, professional development and career resources, national and regional conferences, leadership development summits, and other STEM-focused programming. Most scholarship deadlines are May 31, 2023.
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Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and graduate students are now open under Native Forward Scholars Fund.
The Native Forward Scholars Fund has been serving Native American students in their academic success for 50-years, and award approximately $15 million in scholarships annually.
Native Forward Scholars Fund has empowered over 20,000 students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states by providing scholarship dollars and support services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees.
Scholarship deadlines vary from March 31, 2023 to June 1, 2023.
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2022 IHS Continuing Dental Education Catalog
The Indian Health Service Division of Oral Health offers several webinars and in person trainings for Continuing Dental Education for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants year round.
View the 2023 course catalog here.
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Society of American Indian Dentist
Save the Date for the Society of American Indian Dentist 33rd Annual Conference to be held on
June 7-10, 2023 in Omaha, Ne.
SAID is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the unique needs of Indigenous dentists,
while also increasing the number of Indigenous dentists in the United States.
SAID will celebrate it's 33rd annual conference June 7-10, 2023 in Omaha, NE at the Creighton University School of Dentistry. Details coming soon!
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