The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry has received two grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration to improve faculty retention and expand access to dental care.
The first grant provides the university with more than $774,000 in funding to create a loan repayment program for its faculty members. The program, which provides total loan forgiveness over a five-year period, will select applicants based on debt burden, teaching contributions and community engagement, according to a Nov. 5 news release from the university.
In addition, the dental college plans to increase student enrollment by 33% over the next five years.
The second grant gives more than $2.7 million for the dental school to expand dental care in rural communities. Through a partnership with the Oklahoma Dental Foundation and the Jefferson County Health Department, the College of Dentistry will send about 40 fourth-year dental students each year to serve these underserved populations in mobile dental vans.
Jefferson County is one of 11 counties in Oklahoma that lacks a permanent dentist and has medically vulnerable populations, including low-income residents, children and Medicaid beneficiaries, the release said.
