Minnesota dental practice with waiting list of 1,300 asked to open another clinic

Two nonprofit dental clinics are in talks to alleviate long patient waiting lists for Detroit Lakes, Minn., residents enrolled in the state's dental health program, DL-Online reported Oct. 27.

Five things to know:

1. Many residents enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs, the state's public health insurance system, travel to nonprofit dental clinics in Hawley, Fergus Falls, Park Rapids, Moorhead, Bemidji and Halstad.
2. Mounds View, Minn.-based Apple Tree Dental is a nonprofit dental practice that provides dental services and education to vulnerable populations. Its Hawley clinic has a list of about 1,300 people waiting for an appointment. Its Fergus Falls location has a waiting list of 800 people.
3. Jane Neubauer, dental services coordinator at Partnership4Health, a community healthcare organization in Minnesota, told DL-Online she has spoken to Apple Tree Dental and Northern Dental Access to see if the practices can open a clinic in Detroit Lakes.
4. There are five dentists in the area that serve Minnesota Health Care Programs recipients, including only one who serves people with special needs.
5. In 2019, the state's Becker County had more than 11,000 residents ages 69 and younger enrolled in one of the Minnesota Health Care Programs, but only about one-third of enrollees saw a dentist that year.