This legislative session, lawmakers are considering many ways to improve access to health care, increase workforce training and support recovering businesses. Investing in dental workforce programs would address all of these goals.

Oregon’s dental workforce is in crisis. Even before the pandemic, there were too few dental assistants to meet the needs of dental offices and patients. In 2021, the Oregon Employment Department identified dental assisting as one of the most challenging roles to fill among vacant health care jobs. Providers have confirmed this finding, with dentists in every practice setting reporting difficulty hiring dental assistants.

Funding existing community college programs would go a long way toward bolstering and diversifying the dental assisting workforce. Community colleges have a long record of creating career pathways for marginalized Oregonians and providing funding would allow dental assisting programs to offer scholarships and operate at full capacity. Because assisting programs are completed in less than one academic year, these funds would have an immediate impact on workforce supply.

Support for OHSU’s School of Dentistry rotation program would also ensure access for rural and underserved communities across the state. Dental students spend time in Portland’s Russell Street Clinic and eight weeks at partner clinics in underserved areas statewide, providing more than $1 million in dental services each year for these communities.

Oregon dentists are united in expanding access to high-quality, equitable oral health care. As legislators prioritize spending, we urge them to support these programs demonstrated to improve workforce training and health care access.

Calie Roa, Medford

Roa is a family dentist and president of the Oregon Dental Association.