Building a Pipeline for Dental Care
海角社区 Alexandria to Educate Dental Hygienists for Central Louisiana
With $520K in state support, 海角社区 is expanding the 海角社区 Health New Orleans dental hygiene program to 海角社区 Alexandria to address acute workforce needs in central Louisiana.
Haywood Joiner, dean of the College of Health and Human Services at 海角社区A
鈥淩ather than reinventing the wheel, we take advantage of a university that鈥檚 statewide, where different campuses can work together to meet critical needs,鈥� said Haywood Joiner, dean of the College of Health and Human Services at 海角社区A. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing it with 海角社区 Eunice in extending their surgical technology program to us, and we鈥檙e doing it with 海角社区 Health New Orleans for dental hygiene. Our hope, of course, is that students will remain and work in this area after they graduate.鈥�
One of the 海角社区A students hoping to do exactly that is Sara Larson from Cheneyville, 25 miles south of Alexandria. She just completed her prerequisite courses and hopes to be accepted into the dental hygiene program at 海角社区A this fall.
鈥淭his semester, I鈥檓 actually working fulltime with my mom, just to gain experience,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a dentist in Ville Platte, where I went to high school, and after school each day, I used to go to her office. That鈥檚 what got me interested in dental hygiene. I want to help people keep their teeth. Good oral health can save people a lot of pain, hassle and cost.鈥�
After she graduates with her Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene, Larson hopes to work for a dentist with a practice in the area.
鈥淧robably in Rapides Parish, or in St. Landry or Evangeline,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to be near my family鈥攖hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important for me to complete my education in Alexandria and not have to drive three hours or more to visit.鈥�
While dentists generally restore teeth to form and function, dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who help patients maintain the health of the hard and soft tissues in the mouth, and counsel and educate them on how oral health impacts overall health. It can be a lucrative profession, with annual salaries around $75K in Louisiana.
鈥淒entistry has given a lot to me and my family鈥攖hat鈥檚 why I want to help get this program off the ground,鈥� said Wilton Guillory, a retired Alexandria dentist and now interim 海角社区A dental hygiene program director. 鈥淲e have an acute shortage of dental hygienists in this area. It鈥檚 honestly an ordeal to find one. I went almost a year looking for a hygienist, and then, out of the clear blue, there鈥檚 one at my front desk. I told my staff, 鈥楧rop everything. There鈥檚 a hygienist here, and we need her.鈥欌��
Meeting the Need for Dental Hygienists
All parishes in central Louisiana are considered dental health professional shortage areas by the Louisiana Department of Health. All are also considered rural, except for Rapides Parish.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how excited everyone is here about the new 海角社区A dental hygiene program,鈥� said John Moylan, president of the Central Louisiana Dental Association. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to bring much needed service to our community.鈥�
鈥淚t can be hard to get people from cities to move to smaller communities, but if you live here for a while, you tend to stay because it鈥檚 a great place to live,鈥� Moylan continued. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see myself moving from my native Lafayette to Alexandria, but my wife is an orthodontist here and we love it.鈥�
Moylan experiences a particular challenge on a daily basis, however鈥攖he 鈥渉uge need鈥� for dental hygienists.
鈥淎fter opening my practice two years ago, I was finally able to hire two hygienists this past summer, but now one is retiring and the other is cutting back her work, so I have to clean teeth again,鈥� Moylan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I mind, but they鈥檙e better at it. They鈥檙e specialized, and it takes me away from doing my best to serve our patients.鈥�
Kristin Scioneaux is a dental hygienist who graduated from the 海角社区 Health New Orleans dental hygiene program in 2019. She works at Louisiana Dental Center in LaPlace, her hometown, while commuting from Vacherie, her husband鈥檚 hometown where they now live.
鈥淚鈥檓 so glad to hear about the expansion of the dental hygiene program to Alexandria; that鈥檚 awesome,鈥� Scioneaux said. 鈥淢any people can鈥檛 afford to move to New Orleans to study and it鈥檚 hard to commute. If 海角社区A can recruit students locally, find people who are from central Louisiana, that鈥檚 the best bet for getting more dental hygienists. In LaPlace, we鈥檙e lucky鈥攚e have four. But our sister offices in Zachary and Kenner, and even in New Orleans, they鈥檙e in desperate need for more.鈥�
No one understands the supply-and-demand equation as well as the life-long security of having a specialized career more than Jane Walsh, director of the 海角社区 Health New Orleans School of Dentistry program in dental hygiene.
鈥淚 could have every student in a job before they leave; we just can鈥檛 graduate them fast enough,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淎nd in my six years here, nearly every single student has passed their board exams and gotten their license, so our students are very successful.鈥�
Three out of four dental health professionals working in Louisiana today got their degree from the 海角社区 Health New Orleans School of Dentistry. This includes both dentists and dental hygienists.
鈥淥ur job is to work in tandem with dentists providing preventive care and oral hygiene instructions,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淥ur focus is preventative, and we also do a lot of work with schools and outreach in the community. Dental hygiene is a key component of public health.鈥�
Read more
- (海角社区A)
- In Louisiana, For Louisiana: 海角社区 Fights Rural Health Disparities (海角社区 Office of Research & Economic Development)