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February 5, 2013

Study shows rural dentist shortage

A new study of Maine's dental work force shows that only 13% of dentists practice in rural areas where nearly two-thirds of the state's population lives.

That finding was listed as the top limitation on access to dental health care for Mainers in a report the Legislature commissioned from researchers at MCD Public Health in Augusta.

Additionally, the report found that nearly a quarter of Maine's dentists plan to retire within the next five years.

Along with dental health access in the state, the study included an analysis of the financial resources in the state and work force changes expected in dentistry.

It concluded the profession's long-term work force demand was "impossible to predict with any reliability," citing the changing demand for preventive care as a result of the Affordable Care Act and the opening of a dentistry school at the University of New England.

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