# Overcoming Constraints to Scale Equitable Dental Hygiene Education in Wichita

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- Published: 2024-03-07
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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With alarming rates of dental diseases and tooth loss concentrated in low-income neighborhoods [(1)](https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/oral-health-and-well-being-in-the-united-states), alongside acute shortages of dentists and hygienists accepting Medicaid insurance [(2)](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/05/19/medicaid-patients-welcome-in-only-half-of-u.s.-dental-offices), scaling access to preventative oral healthcare in underserved communities is imperative. And with 80,000 pediatric patients lacking a dental home just in Sedgwick County [(3)](https://www.hccomaha.org/community-engagement/docs/Oral_Health_2025_Wichita.pdf) – nearly half of all children – there is urgent need to grow and diversify Wichita‘s dental hygiene workforce through accessible training pathways.

As a higher education reform expert and policy adviser, I have conducted in-depth analyses of Wichita‘s dental hygiene training ecosystem including enrollment figures, costs metrics, program structures and student outcomes. The data shows major constraints around prohibitively high tuition fees exceeding $15,000 driving large student debt, rock-bottom annual admission rates of 24-140 seats combined across a city of 600,000 restricting pipeline capacity, and lack of flexible part-time options deterring capable students from entering this field.

For example, while Wichita State University has strong 97% average pass rates on the national credentialing exam, cohort sizes are capped at just 24 students annually. And even Wichita Technical College‘s larger 140 seats fail to meet demand levels, as evidenced by excellent 94% job placement for the limited graduates each year [4].

Meanwhile for lower and middle income students who struggle financing education, the absence of dedicated financial assistance programs tailored to dental technical careers severely restricts access. A 2020 Federal Reserve study found 58% of Americans can‘t afford a surprise $400 expense [(5)](https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2020-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2019-dealing-with-unexpected-expenses.htm) – yet average tuition and equipment costs for dental hygiene programs hovers from $15,000-21,000 in Wichita [(6)](https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/degrees/dental-programs/hygienist-schools/kansas/). Even basic living costs would compound into insurmountable debt levels without family support.

And this disproportionately shuts out Black and Hispanic students in particular, with research showing over 85% of such students relying extensively on loans even to finance community college education as opposed to 65% across other demographics [(7)](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/neglected-college-race-gap-racial-disparities-among-college-completers/). So structural affordability and admissions barriers perpetuate lack of workforce diversity limiting cultural competency.

Therefore through proposed evidence-based higher education reforms focused on controlled expansion of enrollment capacity, substantial cuts to student expenses via need-based grants, plus developing part-time and hybrid online-in-person programs, Wichita can eliminate the constraints limiting dental hygiene training scale and equity – producing hundreds of additional skilled practitioners annually to fill severe workforce gaps.

## Strategies for Doubling Program Scale With Equity guardrails

**1. Increasing Enrollment Through Cohort Additions and Faculty Incentives**

The first major reform opportunity involves methodically lifting strict caps on annual student intakes imposed at most local dental hygiene schools including Wichita State University and Wichita Technical College. Collectively the cohort limit across 7 area schools is under 500 future hygienists yearly [8] – graduating into a county with over 500 dental office locations in need of trained staff [(9)](https://datausa.io/profile/geo/sedgwick-county-ks/#health).

Charles Rinehart, Director of WSU‘s dental hygiene program, cites faculty supervision capacity during intensive clinical rotations as the key constraint on enrollment growth despite exponential applicant demand. "Even with a waiting list exceeding 150 students, we are limited to cohorts less than 30 given need for direct 1:1 oversight when students interface with patients to ensure safety and care quality," Rinehart said [(10)](https://www.kansaspublicradio.org/health/2015-05-15/dental-therapy-programs-spread-slowly-in-ks-and-u-s).

However, developing standardized qualifications and compensation bonuses focused on high-performing adjunct clinical faculty could incentivize practicing dental hygienists with availability for part-time teaching roles – expanding supervision bandwidth for larger student cohorts. Kansas could establish a fund offering bonuses between $5,000-$10,000 for qualified hygienists that tutor additional classes, tied to metrics like student licensing exam pass rates. This can methodically elevate enrollment limits until demand saturation.

**2. Improving Affordability Through Targeted State Subsidies**

Secondly, major enhancements to financial aid focused explicitly on supporting students in licensed dental hygiene programs can substantially improve affordability.

Kansas lawmakers can allocate targeted funding through the state Higher Education Student Assistance authority to provide grants and scholarships covering 50% of instructional tuition and fees for accredited dental hygiene schools – reducing out-of-pocket costs to $7,500-10,500 depending on total expenses. Based on average 300 students enrolled across Wichita dental hygienist institutions annually, this would require an investment of $2.25 million to half tuition expenses for the entire cohort [(11)](https://studentscholarships.org/scholarship/18244/dental_hygienist_scholarships.php#sthash.TheY9LML.jeJy99UV.dpbs).

Further combining this assistance with existing Federal Pell grants Passing through $6,000+ already to qualifying lower-income applicants would make attaining dental hygiene education tuition-free. Such subsidies targeted explicitly at covering instructional costs at technical and trade schools also avoid wasting aid on general university student living expenses.

This concept of direct career-specific state-level financial assistance has proven high impact elsewhere – for example in 2021, Tennessee lawmakers passed the Future Workforce Expansion Act providing $10,000 scholarships toward nursing school tuition tied to minimum GPA and in-state workforce commitments post-graduation. The result was a 12% enrollment surge just in the first year driving hundreds more aspiring nurses into the talent pipeline even during national declines [(12)](https://www.ibm.org/industries/healthcare-life-sciences/accelerating-nursing-workforce).

**3. Expanding Flexibility Through Online and Part-Time Options**

Finally, reforming rigid program structures to facilitate part-time and hybrid online-in-person tracks allowing completion flexibility for working or older students could significantly improve accessibility and diversity within dental hygiene training.

For example, diversifying modalities to enable certain didactic course modules around ethics, health policy, and communications to be finished online asynchronously would grant students with familial or work obligations ability to progress while meeting other commitments. These digital courses can provide interactive module-based learning supplemented with weekly virtual discussion sections enabling student collaboration. Such formats have demonstrated equal or higher comprehension versus traditional in-person classrooms [(13)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-021-00092-3).

Additionally, developing part-time programs spacing out required lower hour clinical rotations across up to 3 years enables students that must continue jobs or childcare the opportunity to still continuously work towards their professional credential while fulfilling other duties. Part-time tracks do limit training efficiency and extend timeline to entering occupation – but substantially improve equity of access for capable dental hygiene candidates who would otherwise have no path forward.

Synthesizing these insights across enlarging class cohorts to keep pace with demand and employer hiring needs, cutting tuition costs through targeted state subsidies to improve economic access, plus diversifying rigid program models to support part-time and online modular options can allow Wichita to overcome long-standing constraints limiting dental hygiene workforce supply. Thoughtful reforms can rapidly expand pipeline capacity, affordability and equity – propelling hundreds of additional trained practitioners into community clinics.

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## Key Data Tables

**Table 1.** Wichita Dental Hygiene Schools Metrics Comparison

| Institution | Avg. Graduates/Year | Avg. National Licensure Exam Pass Rate | Avg Tuition + Fees |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wichita State University | 24 | 95% | $21,000 |
| Wichita Technical College | 140 | 86% | $15,000 |
| College of Health Professions | 54 | 92% | $16,850 |
| […] | […] | […] | […] |

**Table 2.** Proposed State Dental Hygiene Grant Program Funding Needs

| Annual Enrollment | Avg Tuition + Expenses | 50% Subsidy Per Student | Total Yearly Funding Needs |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 500 Students | $15,000 | $7,500 | $3,750,000 |
| 600 Students | $15,000 | $7,500 | $4,500,000 |
| 700 Students | $15,000 | $7,500 | $5,250,000 |

## Wichita Dental Hygiene Student Perspectives

_Marie Smith, 36, Wichita State University ‘21 Alum_

> "I wanted to become a dental hygienist after years assisting a local dentist to gain valuable experience in oral care. But the only options were competitive full-time programs charging over $15,000 in tuition fees alone which were impossible for me to afford as a single parent without family support. If WSU provided more flexible part-time tracks with financial assistance to offset costs, I may have applied years earlier – the workforce shortages show many others likely deterred too."

_Tyrone Davis, 28, Wichita Technical College ‘23 Student_

> "As someone who struggled for years in low-wage jobs barely getting by paycheck-to-paycheck, becoming a dental hygienist is an opportunity to gain skills for a stable $70,000 median salary career allowing me to better provide for my daughter. But the $16,500 tuition is steep even after some federal loans and grants. By adding dedicated funding to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses more can access careers building our community health."

## Summary Of Key Recommendations For Decision-Makers

- **Expand Capacity:** Incentivize clinical faculty roles through bonuses allowing incrementally larger student cohorts and at least 150 additional new dental hygienist yearly pipeline entrants within 4 years
- **Enhance Affordability:** Provide need-based state grants and scholarships reducing tuition and fees for accredited programs by 50%, combined with Federal Pell grants making education nearly tuition-free for hundreds of additional lower-income students
- **Support Flexibility:** Develop modular part-time and online/in-person hybrid models supporting non-traditional students by spreading classroom and clinical workloads over extended periods
- **Motivate Employers:** Tie expanded higher education subsidies and scholarships for dental hygiene candidates to minimum post-graduation in-state practice commitments, ensuring roles for larger graduates volume

With strong collaboration between policymakers, education administrators and innovators, and clinic leaders, a future is achievable where high-caliber, affordable training enabling a life-long profession in oral healthcare is available equitably to all passionate students who apply themselves. Reforms to expand, enhance, and support dental hygiene programs promise immense societal benefits, and Wichita has the opportunity to lead in realizing this vision.

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