NE KY AHEC Receives Grant to Build Dental Career Pipeline

The Northeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center (NE KY AHEC) has received more than $126,000 in funding to develop regional dental careers pathways for high school students over the next three years. This project is supported by a grant from the Sisters of Notre Dame Eastern Kentucky Foundation.

The funding will enable the NE KY AHEC to implement the Appalachian ROOTS (Rural Opportunities for Oral Training and Service) program in eight northeastern Kentucky counties (Bath, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Lewis, Menifee, Morgan, and Rowan). The project began on Oct. 1 and will continue through Sept. 30, 2028. Proposed annual activities include monthly dental careers-focused meetings for a cohort of 20 students; two-day dental summer camps for 20 additional students; and a one-day oral health summit at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry for another 20 students, for a target of 60 participants per year.

“We operate highly successful pre-physician and pre-nursing pipeline programs, so adding pre-dental is a natural progression in our effort to address the region’s overall health care workforce gaps,” said David A. Gross, director of the NE KY AHEC. “We’re incredibly excited to help recruit and train our region’s future dentists, orthodontists, and hygienists.”

Each of the project’s target counties has a population-to-dentist ratio that exceeds state and national rates – and, as a result, the region has numerous disparities related to poor oral health.

“The Appalachian ROOTS proposal addressed each of the Sisters of Notre Dame Eastern Kentucky Foundation’s funding priorities – health and wellness, education and career development, and quality of life,” said Mindy Highley, the foundation’s CEO and executive director. “We look forward to working with the Northeast Kentucky AHEC to enhance access to quality dental services across this region for years to come.”

NE KY AHEC staff will soon begin promoting ROOTS during classroom presentations at 10 high schools within the eight target counties. The application also will soon be available on the NE KY AHEC’s web site at www.neahec.org.