BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 20 — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Vermont State Dental Society (VSDS), University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced their historic effort to establish an innovative, new dental clinic and training program in Vermont. Through a VSDS-University of Detroit Mercy partnership, the initiative will bring UDM students to Vermont to complete their final years of training – strengthening the dental care provider pipeline and expanding access to much-needed care across the state. Vermont currently has no dental school.

Sanders and Welch are working to secure $4.6 million in federal funding through the FY25 Congressionally Directed Spending process to support this initiative. The funding recently was approved by the Appropriations Committee and next needs to pass the House and the Senate before being signed into law by President Biden.

“The suffering that the dental care crisis causes Vermonters and people across this country too often goes unseen and unaddressed,” said Sanders. “Far too many, especially in rural areas like Vermont, do not have access to a dentist, which forces them to either travel long distances or go without the care they need. In some Vermont counties, there is a year-long wait list. In others, there are no dentists at all who treat kids with Medicaid. And because we don’t have a dental school in the state, there’s no natural pipeline for dentists to train and eventually work in our communities. It is time for that to change. This historic initiative brings me a lot of hope for the care and education opportunities we can deliver to Vermont. I am proud to partner with the Vermont Dental Society, University of Detroit Mercy, and Senator Welch to make this a reality. Let’s get it done.”

At a press conference on Friday, VSDS, UDM, Sanders, and Welch celebrated the program receiving its accreditation from the Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA) – an essential step in establishing the teaching program in Vermont.

“By partnering with University of Detroit Mercy, we are opening doors to educational opportunities that haven’t existed before in Vermont, and increasing access to oral health care for Vermonters as well,” said Justin Hurlburt DMD, board president of the Vermont State Dental Society. “We are excited to partner with Detroit Mercy on this opportunity to expand the dentistry workforce in the state,” he added.

“University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry has a long tradition of graduating practice-ready clinicians and it is an honor to help bring the Detroit Mercy DDS program to the Green Mountain State,” said Mert N. Aksu DDS, JD, MHSA, Cert DPH dean of Detroit Mercy Dental. “UDM recognizes the need for dentists in Vermont, and looks forward to providing a program to educate and graduate dentists in the state.”

“This accreditation is an important step forward in the process to expand access to dentists here in Vermont, so every patient can get the care they need. I look forward to working with Senator Sanders on this important issue, and will continue to advocate for more federal funding to support workforce development in dentistry and health care across our state,” said Welch.

Left untreated, dental issues can lead to larger health problems. Nearly half of adults in the United States have some form of periodontal disease, which makes them two to three times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular event. In 2019, there were 1.8 million visits to emergency rooms across the country for preventative dental conditions – a 62% increase from 2014.

This new initiative will go a long way to increase oral health education opportunities and address the statewide dental provider shortage. Beginning in the fall of 2025, the partnership between VSDS and UDM will include two years of foundational and preclinical education at the UDM School of Dentistry campus in Detroit, Michigan, followed by two years of clinical and didactic education at a new dental clinic based in Chittenden County. Students would choose the Vermont residency option upon enrollment, increasing the likelihood that students will remain in Vermont to practice post-residency.

University of Detroit Mercy-Vermont will house modern classrooms with on-site clinics to support its clinical education program and serve as a public health, Medicaid clinic to provide dental care to qualifying individuals. These students will not only work and learn in the new facility in Chittenden County, they will also do rotations in underserved areas around the state, including at Federally Qualified Health Centers and private dental practices. Current estimates show each class of students would see about 3,500 patients over a two-year period.