UNMC Dentistry using federal funds to address rural needs

The UNMC College of Dentistry has embarked on four aims to improve the state’s rural dental health after having been awarded more than $4.6 million in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grant funding by the federal government. 

RHTP funding is part of a $50 billion program through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Funds are administered by states. 

The UNMC College of Dentistry is utilizing just over $925,000 per year over the next five years to: 

• Implement an urgent dental care clinic at the college’s home on East Campus in Lincoln. Medical emergency departments are not equipped to handle dental emergencies, and dental ER visits leave patients with big bills besides. Nebraska dental-related emergency room visits cost an average of nearly $3,200 per visit in 2023 while likely not helping much. The dental-specific urgent care clinic will cost less for patients and offer true dental care rather than “Band-Aid” measures. It also eases the strain on the state’s medical emergency departments, UNMC dental faculty said. The urgent clinic opened July 1 and has walk-in hours of 8-10 a.m. through the summer. Afternoon and evening hours are set to be added in the fall. Private donations from alumni and industry partners also significantly contributed to the establishment of the clinic. 

• Address rural dental deserts through partnerships with health departments throughout the state. Logan Kludt Lawrence, DDS, director of public health projects for the college, will supervise dental and dental hygiene student rotations at select health departments in counties designated as rural or frontier. These rotating students will serve as additional workforce for educational and preventative measures already being conducted by these health departments – including but not limited to head and neck screenings, cleanings, limited denture adjustments, fluoride and sealants. “These students will be provided a hands-on opportunity to practice with mobile and portable equipment in rural health departments, educational and long-term care settings,” Dr. Lawrence said. “The students will not only be addressing an access to preventative oral healthcare barrier but will also be learning ways to envision their role in community health and engagement in their professional roles upon graduation.” Partnership agreements and CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation) approval are currently being pursued. 

• Re-establish Western Dental Day. The UNMC College of Dentistry has traditionally traveled to the Panhandle and Western region of the state for preventative and educational outreach. Unfortunately, those efforts were slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic and are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. RHTP funding will be used to reinvigorate and strengthen preventative and oral care outreach to the Western part of the state. 

• Support the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute Caring for Champions Dental Clinic to expand access to dental care for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. MMI’s Caring for Champions Dental Clinic provides general anesthesia to patients with special healthcare needs who otherwise could not tolerate comprehensive dental care, including those with Medicaid benefits. There is currently a greater than three year wait for adult appointments at this clinic. The clinic is currently supported by Health Resources and Services Administration funding, which expires this fall. RHTP funding will keep the clinic operational, while expanding dental services at MMI for these underserved patients. 

Greg Bennett, DMD, executive associate dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry, serves as primary investigator for the RHTP grant funding.