HOUSE APPROVES SENATOR COLLINS’S LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS SHORTAGE OF DENTISTS IN RURAL AREAS.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives has approved Senator Susan Collins's Dental Health Improvement Act that aims to address the shortage of dentists in rural areas. The bill, part of the Healthcare Safety Net Improvement Act, will be especially helpful in Maine, where in some parts of the state the current dentist-to-patient ratios are unacceptably low. The bill was passed in the Senate in April. The bill now goes to a conference committee then to the White House for the President's signature.

"This will help address a serious issue in Maine, especially in rural areas," said Senator Collins. "I'm delighted the House has passed my legislation. We need to begin attracting more dentists to areas in need of their services."

Senator Collins's legislation would authorize a $50 million grant program for states to develop innovative ways to address the dental workforce shortage. Additional federal resources would increase 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. 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.

An estimated 25 million Americans live in areas lacking adequate dental services and as many as 11 percent of America's rural population have never seen a dentist. 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. It has been hailed by Maine dentists as a welcome solution to Maine's dental shortage.

"The state of Maine has severe pockets of unmet dental access needs," said Stephen Mills, a pediatric dentist practicing in Scarborough. "This legislation provides the flexibility and commitment to dental scholarships and loan repayment that will help place practitioners in our most needed areas. It also supports a number of strategies to improve access, such as development of pediatric dental residency programs, which is being considered seriously in Maine. Senator Collins is to be commended for her efforts here."