Dental practices in America are facing a workforce problem that is limiting access to care. One-third of dentists have told ADA that they are actively recruiting dental hygienists and dental assistants, and 87% of dentists tell ADA that recruiting for these positions is extremely challenging despite incentives offered to prospective dental team members. Please write your Senators to urge them to support legislation that will address dental workforce issues so that there are enough dentists in underserved areas, your offices are fully staffed, and more patients are able to receive dental care. We are asking you to tell your Senators to support:
- Reauthorizing Action for Dental Health workforce grants directed towards programs for dentists and other dental professionals;
- S. 862, the Restoring America’s Health Care Workforce and Readiness Act, which would double funding for the National Health Service Corps’ (NHSC) scholarships and loan repayment programs for health care workers, including dentists and dental hygienists, who serve in federally designated shortage areas;
- Allowing dental professional student loan borrowers to modify the interest rate on student loans to the current applicable rate; and
- Supporting S. 704, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (REDI Act), which would address the difficulty, or inability, of those who must undertake several years of dental residency with very low pay to begin repaying student debt immediately.
Please email your Senators and ask them to support these bills. In doing so they can express their support for dentists and dental professionals, as well as patients who may not be able to receive care because of deficiencies in the dental workforce.