New collaboration aims to bring dental education program to Vermont
A Detroit dental school plans to establish a clinic and education program in Vermont by 2027, bringing in 64 third-and fourth-year students who it hopes will decide to stay in the state to practice after they graduate, greatly alleviating what Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, called Vermont’s “dental crisis.”
“This is an important step forward for health care in the state of Vermont,” Sanders said in a Friday press conference to announce the collaboration between the University of Detroit Mercy and the Vermont State Dental Society. “It is not a secret that we have a dental crisis in our country and that we have a dental crisis in Vermont, and that is a crisis, by the way that is too often ignored.”
Sanders stressed that dental care is health care.
“The truth is if you don’t have teeth to chew your food or you have excruciating pain every time you eat, you can’t get the nutrients you need to stay healthy,” Sanders said. “Dental care is health care and dental issues can lead to larger health problems. Half of adults have some form of periodontal disease, which makes them two to three times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other serious cardiovascular event.”
The new dental clinic and education program would bring UDM students to Vermont to complete their final years of training, strengthening the dental care provider pipeline in Vermont, and expanding access to much-needed care across the state.
Dental clinic and education program intended to respond to the needs of Vermonters
Dr. Mert Aksu, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, said a site for the clinic and school has been identified in the greater Burlington area, but since a lease has yet to be signed on the 18,000-square-foot building he is not yet able to specify the address. Aksu said the idea for the dental program in Vermont came about because of what he had read in professional journals and local publications regarding the dental needs of Vermonters.
“For us, we struggle with one problem,” he said. “We had too many applicants for clinical education (in Detroit). We saw many talented, well-intentioned, enthusiastic potential oral health professionals who could help solve a problem in a state that needed it.”
The dental clinic and education program will allow Vermont to educate new dentists without starting a dental school, which can cost more than $150 million, according to Aksu.
“I wanted to find a community that would build a campus and a program,” Aksu said. “We are honored to be part of this process. The true purpose of universities is to bring education to communities, to help the people lift themselves up and help communities address the problems and challenges they face.”
Sanders and Welch are in the process of securing nearly $5 million in federal funding for the clinic and school
Together with Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, Sanders has tentatively secured $4.6 million of congressionally directed funding for the dental program.
“The federal funding Sen. Welch and I are working on has been included in the appropriations bill, but all of you know how functional and efficient the federal government is,” Sanders said, adding, “We’re going to get it.”
In addition to the federal funding, Sanders said Northeast Delta Dental, a dental benefits provider, has agreed to invest up to $2 million in the project. Aksu said UDM is also investing in the program, having already acquired the chairs, equipment and lights required, as well as simulators that allow students to learn procedures prior to performing them on patients.
The proposed clinic and school already have national accreditation
The proposed program in Vermont has received approval from the Commission on Dental Accreditation, a national organization that accredits dental, advanced dental and allied dental education programs, according to Aksu.
In a statement read by Rebecca Ellis, his state director in Vermont, Welch said the accreditation is “an important step forward in the process of expanding access to dentists here in Vermont so every patient can get the care they need.”
“I look forward to working with Sen. Sanders on this important issue and will continue to advocate for more federal funding to support workforce development in dentistry and health care across our state,” he said.
Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.
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