by Tom Raffio, President & CEO, Northeast Delta Dental As Vermonters grapple with the lack of access to dental care, especially in rural areas, it is clear that we must focus on more creative solutions to address the problem. This is when collaboration matters most.
A creative solution is often founded on a single, simple but brilliant idea but its execution can rarely, if ever, occur without the partnership and support of many. According to a study in the international science journal Thinking Skills and Creativity, collaboration has a significant positive effect on creative performance. (For more, see Thinking Skills and Creativity, Volume 50, December 2023.)
Recently, after reading about the dental crisis in Vermont, Dr. Mert N. Aksu, Dean at The University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) School of Dentistry, imagined a win-win scenario. What if he could address the overabundance of talented applicants at his university by filling the pipeline of potential dental professionals in Vermont?
His imagination became a reality and UDM, in collaboration with the Vermont State Dental Society (VSDS), will bring students to Vermont to complete their final years of training, addressing the dental provider shortage across the state. Northeast Delta Dental is a proud partner in this endeavor, committing $2 million to help establish the Dental Oral Health Education Center in Vermont by 2027.
We work with the understanding that one avenue is not enough to solve the crisis and meaningful efforts mean attacking a problem from many angles. Five other active projects that are currently receiving support, expertise and funding from our organization include:
- The national Oral Health Diversity Fund, established in 2023 by the Delta Dental Institute, makes targeted investments in comprehensive solutions, innovative pilots, and scalable models that inspire school-aged children from historically underrepresented groups to pursue a career in oral health.
- Also targeting youth, dental assistant training programs are being established in high schools such as the Hartford Career and Technology Center in White River Junction.
- Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine’s mentorship program, places second year students in hands-on mentorships in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.
- The new Vermont Veterans Outreach Dental Program provides dental services to qualifying veterans through in-network dental offices, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and not-for-profit dental clinics.
- The Vermont Head Start/Early Start program brings vital oral health care to young children from low income families who do not have a dental home.
These innovative plans are a crucial supplement to scholarships, loan repayments, recruiting efforts, in-school dental services, mobile clinics and teledentistry. What they all have in common, besides creativity, is collaboration. I encourage everyone in the dental industry and beyond to accept the challenge of attaining equal access to dental care for all. If we continue to work together, embracing the spirit of innovation, we can deliver a brighter future for the oral health and overall wellbeing of Vermonters.