The University at Albany (UAlbany) School of Public Health will launch an Oral Health Workforce Research Center, supported by a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
The center, an outgrowth of UAlbany's Center for Health Workforce Studies, is one of five health workforce research centers in the U.S., but the only one focused on the oral health workforce, according to the university.
"Oral health has historically been viewed as being separate from other forms of physical health. However, research shows that poor dental health can be linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, and pregnancy complications," said Philip Nasca, dean of the School of Public Health, in a statement. "The Oral Health Workforce Research Center will provide much-needed data about gaps in the public health workforce, identify barriers to good oral health, and support the development of policy and practice models."
In its first year of operation, the center's goals include the following:
- Update the Professional Practice Index for dental hygienists in the 50 states and the District of Columbia
- Compare Medicaid dental claims data in two states with different adult dental benefits
- Study the dental assistant workforce in the U.S.
- Develop case studies for six federally qualified health centers to describe oral health services delivery and oral health workforce innovation
- Develop case studies of oral health service delivery models used in long-term care settings
