WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has approved Senator Susan Collins's Dental Health Improvement Act which authorizes a $50 million dollar grant program for states to develop innovative ways to address the dental workforce shortage. This bill will be especially helpful in Maine, where in some parts of the state, the current dentist-to-patient ratios are unacceptably low. It also increases the opportunities for dentists practicing in under-served rural areas to participate in loan repayment and loan forgiveness programs. "While there is one dentist for every 2,286 people in the Portland area, the number drops dramatically in western and northern Maine," said Senator Collins. "In Aroostook County there is only one dentist for every 5,507 people. This ratio, in effect, prevents many people from obtaining the consistent dental health care they need. Therefore, I am pleased that we are one step closer to solving this problem with the Senate's passage of my Dental Health Improvement Act."
In Maine, approximately 173,000 citizens live in designated dental health professional shortage areas. Moreover, there are currently 393 active dentists, 241 of who are 45 and older, in the state of Maine. More than 20 percent of dentists nationwide will retire in the next ten years and the number of dental graduates by 2015 may not be enough to replace these retirees.
The Dental Health Improvement Act has been endorsed by the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association.