Core Research Area

Iowa is a leader in oral health policy research related to the training, experience, and factors that shape the dental workforce, including dentists, hygienists, assistants, and other dental workforce staff.

Dental Workforce Publications

Randomized experiment on the effect of incentives and mailing strategy on response rates in a mail survey of dentists

Thursday, March 3, 2022
Susan C. McKernan, Julie C. Reynolds, Brooke McInroy and Peter C. Damiano, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 2022

Predictors of Multiple Job-Holding among Dental Hygienists in the State of Iowa

Sunday, February 21, 2021
Predictors of Multiple Job-Holding among Dental Hygienists in the State of Iowa, Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2021

Relationship between community-level variables and number of general dentists

Sunday, April 29, 2018
Raymond A Kuthy, Susan C McKernan, Mark Pooley and M. Bridget Zimmerman

Dental Workforce Reports

Anvita Maharishi

Anvita Maharishi receives grant to improve the accuracy of advanced zirconia dental restorations

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
A new industry-sponsored research award from Ivoclar Vivadent will support work led by Anvita Maharishi to better understand how next-generation multilayered graded zirconia materials behave during manufacturing and how those behaviors may ultimately affect patient care.
A certification with a ribbon on it

Kendrick, Munjal recognized with 2026 Patient’s Choice Awards

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Kendrick and Munjal were recognized among outpatient providers whose patient experience scores ranked in the top 10% nationally.
Aline Petrin

Diving Deeper Into Dr. Petrin's NIH Grant

Wednesday, September 2, 2026
The Orthodontics department’s very own Dr. Aline Petrin has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Health where she competed against multiple other scientists.