Delta Dental of Rhode Island and the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital recently announced a collaboration to launch the state’s first Oral Residency Program.
The initiative was created to address both local and national levels of demand to expand the number of practicing oral surgeons. Once established, the Delta Dental Oral Surgery Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital Oral Surgery Residency Program will be a four-year Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery program.
Michelle Muscatello, Delta Dental of Rhode Island vice president of communications and external affairs, spoke about the program and the need for oral health services.
PBN: How has the demand for oral health services evolved over the past several years?
MUSCATELLO: The year-over-year demand for dental and oral health services continues to be high across the country. Rhode Island is among the top states in the nation for accessibility, with more than 70% of adults visiting the dentist in the last year per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To maintain and build on our state’s success, and, as part of our mission at Delta Dental of Rhode Island, our goal is to ensure all Rhode Islanders have access to oral care, regardless of whether they have dental insurance. Thanks to a collective effort to raise awareness about the direct connection between oral health and overall health, Rhode Islanders are prioritizing their dental routines, which is certainly a good trend to see.
PBN: What is the importance of the workforce in oral health fields?
MUSCATELLO: Just like in any professional sector, the success of the oral health industry is dependent on the quality of its workforce. Here in Rhode Island, we’re fortunate to be home to a robust and steady network of dental professionals, many of whom we at Delta Dental of Rhode Island have had the privilege to work alongside over the years to advance our shared missions of helping our neighbors access quality oral health care and improve their overall health.
As a statewide leader in the industry, we have a responsibility to play our part in helping to ensure Rhode Island’s oral health workforce continues to build on this position of strength. This means supporting the ongoing work of the professionals practicing across the state, while also working to create new pathways for young, talented individuals pursuing long-term careers here in Rhode Island that are both rewarding and critically important for public health.
PBN: How did Delta Dental and Samuels Sinclair Dental Center come up with the idea for the partnership?
MUSCATELLO: Delta Dental of Rhode Island has been proud to support the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center for the better part of the last decade, and we’re thrilled to have an opportunity to play a part in bringing this new Oral Surgery Residency Program closer to becoming a reality.
Many areas of the health care sector are seeing a nationwide shortage, and we saw an opportunity to work with Samuels Sinclair and Rhode Island Hospital to take definitive action to ultimately expand oral surgery access in Rhode Island. This type of specialized, hospital-based academic program specifically designed for students studying oral surgery doesn’t currently exist in our state. Programs like this will help our industry attract and retain Rhode Island’s next generation of oral health providers. We’re proud to support the team at Samuels Sinclair Dental Center, and we remain committed to working with all of our partners across the state to proactively identify and execute opportunities to strengthen Rhode Island’s statewide oral health talent pipeline.
PBN: How will this program benefit Rhode Islanders?
MUSCATELLO: The overarching goal of the program is to provide new pathways for students who are interested in joining the professional oral health sector. The future residents will gain invaluable, hands-on clinical experience that will prepare them to provide vital, potentially life-saving care over the course of their careers.
This program is yet another resource that will lead to new, qualified, talented oral surgeons opting to learn, work and stay in Rhode Island, which, in turn, will ultimately lead to Rhode Islanders’ gaining increased accessibility to specialized services. We’re excited to see this program get off the ground.
PBN: What do you see as some of the other steps the oral health community can take to help strengthen the industry’s talent pipeline?
MUSCATELLO: We know Rhode Island is a great place for oral health professionals to live and work. Our goal is to work with our colleagues across the state to educate students in high school and college about the great professional opportunities that the oral health field can offer and help them access the resources and information they need to put themselves on the path toward launching their careers.
That’s the driving force behind the Oral Surgery Residency Program we discussed above, and it’s the driving force behind additional partnerships we’re forging at Delta Dental of Rhode Island, such as the annual scholarship program we launched with the Community College of Rhode Island aimed specifically at aspiring dental hygienists who commit to working in Rhode Island after they earn their degrees. As a business that has been a part of the fabric of Rhode Island for more than 60 years, we are focused on the future and look forward to continuing our efforts to support the next generation of oral health professionals in 2024 and beyond.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
