According to a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) press release, Michigan is one of 11 states competitively selected for the Medicaid Oral Health Workforce Implementation Learning Series. This series is a national initiative led by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) with support from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.

The series will bring together Medicaid agencies and their partners to share oral health workforce solutions that can increase access and utilization of services to improve member health, according to the release.

MDHHS states that the Medicaid Oral Health Workforce Implementation Learning Series will share best practices and lessons related to oral health workforce policies and programs. Through expert guidance and peer collaboration, participating states will deepen their knowledge of effective oral health workforce strategies, with the goal of strengthening workforce capacity and improving care for Medicaid populations.

“Increasing Michigan’s dental workforce is an important focus for the department,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in the release. “We want to ensure Michigan families can easily access care as oral health plays a critical role in overall health and well-being.”

According to the release, access to preventative oral health measures in Michigan has improved through measures such as community water fluoridation, fluoride varnish for ages 0 to 5, and school-based/school-linked dental sealant programs.

Access to oral health care for children has also improved through the expansion of the Healthy Kids Dental program and the new kindergarten dental screening program, according to the release. These programs help prevent cavities among children and promote oral health education to families.

Though access to oral health programs requires a substantial dental workforce, the MDHHS reports that Michigan has 59.1 dentists per 100,000 people. These dentists are not distributed throughout the state.

MDHHS states that strengthening the state’s oral health workforce is a goal of the 2025 Michigan State Oral Health Plan developed by the department and the Michigan Oral Health Coalition.

“These 11 state teams have demonstrated their commitment and readiness to implement strategies that strengthen and expand the oral health workforce,” Madeline Steward, senior program officer at CHCS, said in the release. “We are honored to play a role in supporting their efforts.”

Focus areas of the learning series include expanding the oral health workforce; increasing provider engagement by raising awareness of Medicaid opportunities; improving program design to enhance coverage, benefits, and operations; encouraging collaboration and coordination of oral health priorities; and building a pipeline of engaged providers through creative solutions.

Michigan was chosen to participate in the learning series along with 10 additional states: Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.