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

Azeez Butali

Azeez Butali Honored for Groundbreaking Research in Cleft Lip and Palate

Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, was recently recognized by the Nigerian Medical Association for his pioneering work in cleft lip and palate research.
Seed Grant

Iowa Dentistry Announces 2026 Seed Grant Awards

Tuesday, December 2, 2025
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry is pleased to announce the 2026 Seed Grant Awards. These grants fund innovative projects from early-career investigators or established investigators who are developing a new line of research. The 2026 recipients are Dewey Lee, Aline Petrin, Jennifer Sukalski, and Ransome van der Hoeven.
Dr. Julie Reynolds poses with a plaque commemorating her service as the Chair of the Dental Quality Alliance at the American Dental Association Headquarters in Chicago.

Reynolds concludes term as Chair of Dental Quality Alliance

Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Dr. Julie Reynolds, associate professor in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, will complete her term as chair of the Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) at the end of 2025. She was recently honored for her service during the DQA’s fall meeting, held at the American Dental Association headquarters in Chicago.