The current oral health workforce fails to meet the needs of many segments of the U.S. population. This variability in access to oral health services is often related to geography, insurance status, sociodemographic characteristics, and income levels. Challenges include a lack of coordination and integration among the oral health, public health, and medical health care systems; misaligned payment and education systems that focus on the treatment of disease rather than prevention; the lack of a robust evidence base for many dental procedures and workforce models; and regulatory barriers that prevent the exploration of alternative models of care. The Institute of Medicine hosted a workshop on February 9-11, 2009, jointly sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration to discuss:

• What is the current status of access to oral health services?
• Which workforce strategies hold promise to improve access?
• How can stakeholders improve the regulations and structure of oral health care delivery to improve access?