A Growing Safety Net
The number of full-time dental safety net clinicians has nearly doubled — from 83 to 157 — during the five-year span between the two survey periods.
This special report takes a second look at Rhode Island’s dental safety net. It arrives five years after an initial survey and shares the safety net’s latest statistics, challenges and successes. Readers will also learn 15 recommendations aimed at helping the state’s dental safety net continue to grow while evolving to meet residents’ changing needs.
In 2010 and 2011, dental safety net providers throughout Rhode Island completed a survey update. This review had four main goals: 1) gauge progress since the initial survey in 2006; 2) obtain current dental service delivery information; 3) pinpoint persistent challenges and needs; and 4) identify opportunities and strategies to expand services as needed.