Policy Publications
Dental Schools in the Community: Expanding Access to Oral Health Care Services
Across the United States, dental schools deliver high-quality oral health care to many communities. Nearly 19,000 oral health students—predoctoral, allied, and residents and postdoctoral—deliver oral health care services under the close supervision of one of the more than 6,000 faculty clinicians in dental schools across the country. The ADEA report sheds light on the revenue sources and patient demographics of dental school clinics, revealing their disproportionate roles in delivering oral health care services to individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, people of color and working age adults.
February 2024 | ADEA Policy Research Series Issue 6
Access the online storyboard with interactive charts
Oral Health Care and Primary Health Care: Stronger Together in Recognizing and Managing Diabetes
The connection between an individual’s oral health and overall health is well established in the oral health literature. Particularly, oral health diseases, such as periodontal disease, are a major complication in patients with diabetes and vice versa. This report addresses the importance of the oral-systemic link and how oral and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, benefit from a higher level of integration of primary health care and oral health care. This research also discusses dental education’s role in preparing the oral health providers of tomorrow to recognize the oral systemic link and its importance to overall health.
February 2022 | ADEA Policy Research Series Issue 5
Teledentistry: Innovation to Improving Access and Delivery to Oral Health Care Services in Dental Education
The COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders accelerated the rapid expansion of telehealth and its increased utilization. Teledentistry, a subcategory of telehealth, has become a commonly accepted form of oral health care delivery, including in specialty dentistry, and has played an important role in reducing health disparities and achieving equitable health. This report outlines state regulations and reimbursement mechanisms for teledentistry, the role of teledentistry in minimizing oral health disparities through practice and dental education, and teledentistry’s compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for the prevention and treatment of oral health diseases. This report provides educators with information about the benefits of including teledentistry in dental education and continuing to expand this important field.
October 2021 | ADEA Policy Research Series Issue 4
Resilient Dental Schools, Better Oral Health Care for the Underserved: The Impact of the COVID‑19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
This policy research summary report showcases the impact of the pandemic on patient visits in dental school clinics, budgets, personnel changes, and infrastructure investments made to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These key findings were captured by the ADEA COVID-19 Impact Survey of U.S. Dental Schools conducted between November 2020 and January 2021.
May 2021
Antibiotic Overprescription: Policy Considerations For Academic Dentistry
Overprescription of antibiotics is a rapidly increasing public health concern. Dental educators play a pivotal role in promoting antibiotic stewardship to monitor overprescription and limit antibiotic resistance. Introducing prescription guideline policies in dental school curricula and clinics can arm dental educators with the tools to teach safe and effective antibiotic prescription guidelines to the oral health care workforce of tomorrow. This policy brief underscores pedagogical initiatives that academic dentistry can take to combat antibiotic overprescription and be a steward in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
April 2021
Additional Antibiotics Resources.
Dental Amalgam: Safety, Affordability and Utility Fact Sheet for Dental Education
Dental amalgam has been used for the last 150 years for tooth fillings, and an estimated 100 million or more Americans are beneficiaries of dental amalgam. Fifty percent of the restorative material is comprised of a metal alloy mixture of silver, tin and copper, and 50% is elemental mercury. The use of mercury in dental amalgam has raised concerns as a potential health hazard. However, studies have shown that dental amalgam is a safe, affordable and widely used dental material for teeth restoration.
February 2021
Update on Dental Education’s Role in the Opioid Crisis: Dental Schools Take Charge in Combating the Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic continues to be a leading public health crisis in the United States. This data brief supplements the March 2018 ADEA Policy Brief, The Role of Dental Education in the Prevention of Opioid Prescription Drug Misuse, and presents the overarching findings of the ADEA Opioid Dental School Survey.
March 2020