The Indiana University School of Dentistry has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to increase access to dental services for children living in rural Indiana.
“Our goal is to help children in rural Indiana access dental care and reduce early childhood cavities,” said Dr. E. Angeles Martinez Mier, the grant’s principal investigator and project director. “This grant gives us the opportunity to bring preventive dental care closer to children and families who face some of the greatest barriers to accessing it, while preparing our students to become dentists who understand and are ready to serve rural communities.”
Sixty-three out of Indiana’s 92 counties (roughly 68 percent) are officially designated as dental health professional shortage areas, either in whole or in part. Access to dental care remains limited in many rural Indiana communities, and this project aims to help bridge that gap for Hoosier children.
The five-year plan will place dental hygienists, supported by third-year dental students, directly into federally qualified health centers and other community settings to triage patient needs, deliver services within their expertise, and refer patients needing additional care to dentists who collaborate with and receive training from the IU School of Dentistry. Fourth-year dental students will also provide care within these participating practices.
Grant funds will support the staffing, training, and infrastructure needed to implement the initiative. During the first year, Martinez Mier and her team will recruit and train the hygienists, formalize agreements with participating partners, expand the third- and fourth-year curriculum and rotations, and create a plan to collect data and evaluate project impact. The project is expected to be fully operational in its second year.
Dr. Allison Scully will serve as the project’s lead pediatric dentist. Heather Taylor, Ph.D., will lend expertise in integrating dental hygiene services into primary care practices. Dr. Grace Gomez Felix Gomez will manage the project’s assessment and evaluation. IUSD staff members Kibi Pryor, M.B.A., Amanda Albright, and Bonnie Payne will assist with efforts in workforce and community development, data collection and reporting, and community-based dental education.
Collectively, the team will develop, implement, and evaluate a sustainable system that reaches children where they already receive care and connects them with ongoing services. The school itself is contributing an additional $888,000 match to ensure project success.
“Tooth decay in young children is largely preventable,” Martinez Mier said. “Reaching children early with prevention, education, and a connection to ongoing dental care can make a meaningful difference in their health and well-being.”