The Impact of Title VII Dental Workforce Programs on Dentists’ Practice Location: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Purpose To examine the potential impact of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding (predoctoral [PD] and postdoctoral [PDD] programs) on dentists’ practice location in the United States. Method The authors linked 2011–2015 data from HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks to 2015 data from the American Dental Association Masterfile, dental health professional shortage areas, and rural–urban commuting area codes. They examined the associations between PD and PDD funding and dentists’ practice location between 2004 and 2015 using a difference-in-differences analysis and multiple logistic regressions, adjusting for covariates. Results From 2004 to 2015, 21.2% (1,588/7,506) of dentists graduated from institutions receiving PD funding and 26.8% (2,014/7,506) graduated from institutions receiving PDD funding. Among dentists graduating from institutions receiving PDD funding, after adjusting for covariates, those graduating between 2011 and 2015 were more likely to practice in a rural area than those graduating between 2004 and 2010 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–3.76). The difference-in-differences approach showed that PD and PDD funding significantly increased the odds that a dentist would practice in a rural area (respectively, OR = 2.70; 95% CI = 1.31–5.79/OR = 2.84; 95% CI = 1.40–5.77). Conclusions HRSA oral health training program funding had a positive effect on dentists choosing to practice in a rural area. By increasing the number of dentists practicing in rural communities, HRSA is improving access to, and the delivery of, oral health care services to underserved and vulnerable rural populations.