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SRNHC participates with PITT on Dental Training Program
Posted 03/13/2025
Dental Assistant Training Program
Recognizing the critical need for trained dental assistants in the U.S., Pitt Dental Medicine developed the Dental Assistant Training Program. In July 2024, after the program’s initial trainee cohort completed the pilot of the program, Pitt Dental expanded and launched the Dental Assistant Training Program in collaboration with Three Rivers Alliance of Community Health Centers (TRACHC) and several community partners. The hybrid program aims to help solve the tremendous shortage of dental assistants in Pennsylvania by expanding access to care in rural areas by training dental assistants in communities where they live, so they are more likely to stay and be employed as health care professionals with sustainable wages in their communities.
Dental offices across the country have been impacted by the shortage of trained assistants available to work. In 2023, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there are approximately 376,500 Dental Assistant jobs and that the outlook for this career projects a faster than average growth of 8% in 2023-2033.