Community-Based Postdoctoral Dentistry Program in Special Care Dentistry: Development and Implementation

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Growing national demand for dentists trained in special care dentistry for aging and medically complex populations.
• Critical gap in provider training and service delivery for vulnerable patient groups.
• Need for innovative academic-community interventions to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe the implementation and initial impact of a novel academic-community intervention for special care dentistry.
• Address the critical gap in provider training and service delivery.
• Evaluate the feasibility, reach, and workforce impact of the program.

Main Methods:

• Launched the compromised care and hospital dentistry (CCHD) fellowship and clinic.
• Utilized interdepartmental collaboration and streamlined administration for rapid startup.
• Tracked implementation and service outcomes using administrative and electronic dental records from seven partner sites (2020-2025).

Main Results:

• Program launched in 45 days, demonstrating high feasibility.
• Secured over $4.9 million in foundational support and established a community practice partnership model.
• Treated 8013 unduplicated patients annually, with 93.6% reliant on Medicaid/Medicare.
• Achieved 100% workforce impact, with all graduated fellows continuing in special care dentistry practice.

Conclusions:

• The CCHD model offers a replicable template for academic dental centers to expand specialized care capacity.
• Streamlined administration and collaboration led to rapid institutional stability.
• Future research will assess longitudinal patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness to address oral health disparities.