Reimagining Dental Education, Licensure, and Workforce Development

BACKGROUND: Three key challenges confront the dental profession-a growing oral healthcare workforce shortage, escalating costs of dental education, and a need to re-evaluate the relevance of dental license examinations. Solutions proposed thus far address these issues individually and may inadvertently either compromise patient access to care or augment dental student burden. An integrated approach is needed to address these challenges optimally. OBJECTIVE: To propose a novel dental education and licensure model that reduces educational costs, enhances workforce distribution, and optimizes practice readiness, while preserving public trust and patient safety. METHOD: A narrative review and analysis of current challenges identified above was undertaken. Factors such as existing educational models, including accelerated oral healthcare professional training, residency-based licensure alternatives, and rural workforce development, were evaluated to inform the development of the proposed educational framework. RESULTS: A post-high school "2+4+1" dental education model is proposed. This framework includes 2 years of integrated pre-professional undergraduate education, a traditional 4-year DDS/DMD curriculum, and a seventh year dedicated to supervised rural or underserved service, or alternatively, a CODA-accredited residency training program. Dental graduates would receive a limited permit for practice-under-supervision upon completion of dental school, with full licensure contingent upon completion of the seventh year/residency. This model could potentially reduce education costs/debt, enhance clinical experience, improve access to care in underserved communities, and facilitate standardizing practice readiness. This model draws on successful elements of pharmacy education and rural workforce initiatives including the University of Washington RIDE program.