Oral Health

The Center for Rural Health works in a variety of ways to address oral health issues in North Dakota. We support North Dakota rural communities in addressing oral health issues by:

• Evaluating unmet needs and existing workforce capacity for oral healthcare statewide
• Examining the impact of efforts to improve access to dental services
• Analyzing oral health data and oral health status in the State
• Collaborating to provide resources for best practices and proposed models of oral healthcare
• Assessing oral health services among long term care facilities
• Researching knowledge of pediatric oral health preventative measures among clinic providers

The Center for Rural Health’s Rural Health Information Hub lists additional oral health information and resources.

Key Contact

Shawnda Schroeder, PhD - Research Assistant Professor

Most Recent Publications

• Dental Practice Setting Influences Dentists’ Attitudes toward Oral Health Access Solutions
  Examines the correlation between dentists’ attitudes toward different oral health access solutions and the setting of the dental practice.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S.
  Date: May 2017
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Dentists’ Feelings of Being Overworked Influence Attitudes toward Oral Health Access Solutions
  This fact sheet concludes that dentists who are overworked were less knowledgeable about different oral health access solutions than dentists that reported not being busy enough.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S.
  Date: May 2017
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Years in Practice Influence Dentists’ Attitudes toward Oral Health Access Solutions
  Analyzes the attitudes dentists have toward a variety of different oral health access solutions using a survey sent out to North Dakota dentists.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S.
  Date: May 2017
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Dentists’ Knowledge, Support, and Participation in Proposed Dental Care Access Solutions: Results of the North Dakota Survey of Practicing Dentists
  Data Brief detailing knowledge, support, and participation of North Dakota dentists in proposed dental care access solutions. This product is complementary information to a series of fact sheets regarding oral health in North Dakota.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Fix, N.
  Date: April 2017
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Community Health Centers Providing Dental Care to Disparate Populations in North Dakota
  This case study explores how Community Health Centers in North Dakota provide dental care to disparate populations, while also identifying opportunities to close the gap that exists in accessing oral healthcare.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Lee, J.
  Publication: American Journal of Medical Research, 4(1), 50-60
  Date: January 2017
  Type: Journal Article

Most Recent Presentations

• Non-Dental Health Professionals Addressing Oral Health Disparities
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on Jun 14, 2017 at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Minot, North Dakota
• Rural and Urban Dentists’ Perceptions of Dental Therapy: Is it a Solution for Rural Oral Health Access Issues?
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on May 11, 2017 at the National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference, San Diego, California
• Pediatric Oral Health in North Dakota
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on Feb 16, 2017 at the North Dakota Department of Oral Health, Webinar
• The State of Oral Health & Access to Care in North Dakota
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on Sep 16, 2016 at the North Dakota Dental Hygienists Association Fall Annual Session, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Oral Health Status & Access in Rural Communities & Proposed Solutions
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on Aug 17, 2016 at the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health Region E Meeting, Medora, North Dakota