The pipeline from dental education to practice: the Pennsylvania experience.

The pipeline from Pennsylvania dental education to Pennsylvania practice, rural practice, and low service area practice is described and analyzed. The article contends that pipeline development is an effective vehicle in meeting the public health mandate of ensuring access to dental care for all residents. Data from the American Dental Association served as the basis for addressing the two major research questions: 1) what are the educational origins of the dentist workforce in Pennsylvania, in rural areas of Pennsylvania, and in underserved areas of Pennsylvania? and 2) what is the proportion of Pennsylvania-educated dentists who practice in Pennsylvania, in rural areas of Pennsylvania, and in underserved areas of Pennsylvania? As an overall assessment, one can consider the Pennsylvania dental pipeline inadequate to meet the Commonwealth's public health goals. The pipeline is not adequately developed to repopulate the current Pennsylvania-educated dentist workforce, especially in the most needy areas. Understanding the prospects for further pipeline development is best achieved by considering the pipeline within the context of the practice model of dentistry and the current and future supply of dentists.