If you are unaware of Maine’s shortage of dental health care, then you must be one lucky person! Although our number of dental health professionals is finally beginning to stabilize, we are far from most Mainers having reliable access to the oral health care we need. Data shows that we’ve added about a thousand licensed dentists to our state since 2020, but we face an upcoming retirement wave, with 57 percent of dentists in Maine being 60+ years old, and the average age for a dentist to retire in the United States is 69. I have had many constituents reach out for assistance finding a dentist for desperately needed extractions, root canals, or dentures. I also hear from our emergency department professionals who regularly see patients in the ED due to significant oral health problems that become dangerous, as well as overwhelmingly painful.

It is clear that Maine needs to strengthen access to care, especially in rural areas.

On Aug. 20, I was appointed to the Commission to Expand Access to Oral Health Care by Studying Alternative Pathways for Obtaining a License to Practice Dentistry. I gladly accepted this appointment from Senate President Mattie Daughtry. This commission was created earlier this year through LD 1615, which was passed unanimously with bipartisan support in the Health Coverage, Insurance, and Financial Services Committee, and in the full Senate and House.

The goal of this commission is to make it easier for Mainers to access high-quality dental care in a timely fashion and within a reasonable distance from their homes.  We know that one of the most significant barriers to dental care these days is the workforce shortage, so that is a main focus. By incentivizing more dental and health care professionals to come to Maine and looking into quicker pathways for qualified professionals to become licensed in our state, we can close these critical gaps in care.

We will study how other states have successfully merged out–of-state dental professionals into their state’s dental industry. We will also be diving deep into Maine’s educational and licensing requirements, and hearing from dental health care providers, insurers, educators, and professional organizations. The commission is made up of individuals from throughout the Maine dental industry, as well as legislators like myself.

We had our first meeting recently, and as we keep working, we’ll develop policy recommendations for the full Legislature to consider when it comes back in January.

It can be tough work — workforce and health care access challenges are touching every corner of our state. But it’s work that Mainers are counting on us to do, because we shouldn’t have to drive two hours or wait for eight months just to get dental care for ourselves or our kids. 

Don’t forget I am a resource for you all year round. If you need help navigating state agencies or if there is anything else I can help with – please feel free to contact me and my office at cameron.reny@legislature.maine.gov or (207) 287-1515.