University of Washington, School of Dentistry

The School of Dentistry is a regional resource for the people of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. It maintains the largest dental outpatient clinic in the state for patients who have special treatment needs or limited access to dental care.

For over 20 years, the School’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry has worked with community clinics throughout the state to provide comprehensive, collaborative, and culturally competent care to underserved patient populations. These clinics are vital resources for citizens of the region for whom access to dental services is difficult because of geographical, financial, or physical challenges. Likewise, since 1974, the Department of Oral Medicine has run a clinic for disabled patients.

Project Activities
Over the next four years, the School of Dentistry will:

1. Increase the number of days senior students spend in rural and urban community clinics treating underserved patients to 60 days.
2. Establish an administrative structure that will enable students and faculty to spend more time caring for underserved patients. 
3. Prepare campus-based and offsite faculty to meet the needs of predoctoral students who deliver care in the community. 
4. Develop student mentorship opportunities with private dentists who participate in the local special Medicaid dental program for young children.
5. Provide students more opportunities to develop the competencies that are specific to community-based practice in underserved areas (e.g., cultural competency, ethics, and patient-centered care).
6. Increase the use of evidence-based didactic and clinical training in addressing the needs and delivery of oral health care to underserved populations.
7. Work with local minority organizations (e.g., Native American Center for Excellence, National Dental Association) to increase the recruitment of underrepresented minority and low-income students.
8. Establish a predoctoral recruitment program that specifically targets underrepresented minority and low-income MS and PhD students.
9. Develop age-appropriate dental pipeline-building relationships and opportunities with local junior and senior high school science teachers.