Collaborative Efforts Expand Training and Care Capacity Across Maine
September 8, 2026
MCD's Courtney Vannah (left) with dental hygienists Bonnie Vaughan (center) and Tracey Jowett (right) at the continuing education course held at the University of Maine Augusta's Dental Health Program in Bangor.
Despite high enrollment in MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, access to dental care remains a significant challenge. More than half of Maine children with a dental benefit cannot access care in a traditional dental home, according to a 2023 claims data analysis (PDF). At the same time, Maine continues to face a shortage of oral health professionals.
To address these challenges, MCD Global Health has supported initiatives aimed at improving access to care. Through a partnership with the Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine (COHN) and the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) Dental Health Program, specialized coursework is offered to support dental hygienists interested in expanding care beyond traditional dental office settings.
Across Maine, a growing number of dental hygienists are serving patients through on-site portable services, mobile clinics, and independent practice dental hygienist (IPDH) offices, providing community-based prevention and early intervention services that help keep patients healthy and reduce barriers to care.
This fall, UMA offered courses in minimally invasive care that attracted a total of 85 participants:
- In the Foundations in Dental Hygiene Minimally Invasive Care course, Courtney Vannah, senior program manager of MCD's Oral Health Initiatives, presented current trends in cavity management for dental hygienists. Other experts contributed instruction on prevention-focused and minimally invasive approaches to managing dental disease.
- The Applications in Dental Hygiene Minimally Invasive Care course provided hands-on training in evidence-based, minimally invasive therapies available to dental hygienists. Courtney joined a team of experts to guide participants through practical applications designed to improve preventive care and patient outcomes.
MCD's Courtney Vannah (center, in pink shirt) teaches dental hygienists at a continuing education course at the University of Maine Augusta Dental Health Program in Bangor.
The next course in the series, Radiology Review for Independent Practice Dental Hygienists, is scheduled for Friday, September 11, and will focus on radiographic skills and techniques specific to providing care in community-based settings. For more information about UMA's Continuing Education offerings, visit their Continuing Education page.
"Dental hygienists are disease prevention specialists, and by offering services like minimally invasive cavity management to their patients, they have the capability to drastically improve the health of our communities and ease the dental disease burden," said Courtney.
In 2024, COHN initiated a partnership with UMA to provide professional development opportunities for Maine’s active and growing dental hygiene workforce. A HRSA Northern Border Region grant received by COHN has allowed this project to benefit from Courtney's leadership and support. The initiative offers continuing education courses focused on maximizing the capacity and efficacy of the existing oral health workforce.
"COHN has collaborated extensively and successfully with both the UMA Dental Health Program and MCD, so when this HRSA Rural Northern Border Region project opportunity arose, we were so grateful to convene these partners once again," said Becca Matusovich, executive director of COHN. "This course series looks to bolster the work of providers in rural, underserved communities across the state, lifting people up who are already doing this work and connecting more of the workforce with the ideas and tools behind community-based care delivery and a minimally invasive ‘early and often’ approach."
“We are grateful for this partnership with UMA and COHN," said Courtney. "With the profession of dental hygiene evolving so quickly, it’s important to offer opportunities for practicing dental hygienists to advance their skills to keep pace with the evolving care delivery model. Continuing education such as this is important not only for the clinicians, but also for the communities they serve."