Photo / Courtesy, UMA
Dental education enrollment will double at UMA’s Lewiston location, thanks to expanded capacity.
Updated: November 5, 2024
UMA tackles dental workforce shortage with expanded clinic in Lewiston
Photo / Courtesy Duncan Persons
From left, Jeffrey Walawender, Northeast Delta Dental’s Maine board of directors chair; Courtney Noonan, UMA assistant professor of dental health; Joseph Szakas, UMA provost and vice president of academic affairs.
As part of its efforts to improve health care access, the University of Maine at Augusta has opened an expanded dental education clinic in its Lewiston Center.
The expansion doubles the university’s capacity to educate dental health care professionals and also to provide services for the community, according to a news release.
UMA officials on Friday dedicated the space as the Delta Dental Oral Health Center in recognition of a $665,000 grant last year from Northeast Delta Dental. With the funding, UMA added three new operatories, or dental chairs, as well as a 3D digital X-ray machine.
“Our organization knows that supporting high-quality dental education is an investment in improving access to dental care across the state of Maine,” said Jeffrey Walawender, chair of Northeast Delta Dental’s Maine board of directors and a practicing dentist in Portland.
Also on hand from Northeast Delta were Jennifer Beyer, Erin Holt and Brian Staples.
The expanded space in Lewiston will allow the university to enroll more students, eventually bolstering Maine’s dental workforce, said Joseph Szakas, UMA’s provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Northeast Delta Dental awarded the money with a goal to address the shortage of dental professionals in Maine and to address disparities in oral health, providing care especially for people who are low-income, uninsured or members of minority, immigrant or rural populations, according to a 2023 news release.
The money allows the Lewiston clinic to double the number of dental units from three to six by funding equipment and construction costs and adding increased staffing. The gift also funds $100,000 in student scholarships to those enrolling in UMA’s dental assisting or expanded-function dental assisting programs.
The larger space in Lewiston complements the dental education facilities at UMA’s Bangor campus. That site already has a 24-operatory dental clinic and typically enrolls about 55 students.
Between the two locations, UMA now has 30 operatories and can accommodate approximately 85 students.
UMA said it also anticipates that more dental hygiene students from its Bangor location would be able to go on rotations in Lewiston, adding educational experiences for hygiene students and increasing access to care for preventative dental services in Lewiston and surrounding areas.
The dental assisting program anticipates an increase in Lewiston enrollments from six students to 12 students per year. The expanded-function dental assisting program is projected to increase Lewiston enrollments from 12 to 18 students per year.
Together, the two locations can now accommodate 30 dental assisting students and 30 EFDA students per academic year. Educating dozens of dental professionals a year can make a difference in Maine, the university believes.
“UMA plays a lead role in addressing the shortage of dental professionals in Maine, in turn improving access to care for our communities,” said Jenifer Cushman, UMA’s president.
About UMA dental education
Through its Lewiston Center and Bangor campus, UMA offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs in dental hygiene, certificate and associate degree programs in dental assisting, and a micro-certificate in expanded function dental assisting.
As part of their training, UMA’s dental assisting students receive hands-on clinical experiences, including at university-run dental clinics in Bangor and Lewiston where they provide free and low-cost preventative and basic restorative services to eligible Mainers. They include low-income children, veterans and members of the Maine National Guard, said Courtney Noonan, UMA’s assistant professor of dental health.
UMA has a 100% job placement rate for its dental health graduates; 95% stay in Maine, according to Szakas.
The Lewiston Center is at 51 Westminster St. in the city, co-located at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn campus. The center opened in 2018 and is one of UMA's seven regional centers. In addition to UMA's campuses in Augusta and Bangor, it has centers in Brunswick, East Millinocket, Ellsworth, Lewiston, Rockland, Rumford and Saco.
The Lewiston Center offers access to more than 40 of UMA’s degree and certificate programs offered through a combination of in-person and online courses.
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