Vermont Halts Dental Therapy Program, Shifts Focus to Expanding Dental Hygiene
After nearly a decade of planning, Vermont State University has officially ended development of its proposed Dental Therapy Program due to insurmountable financial and operational challenges. Instead, the university is doubling down on its successful Dental Hygiene Program, aiming to grow the oral health workforce through a proven and sustainable path.
Vermont State University (VTSU) has concluded development of its long-anticipated Dental Therapy Program, citing key findings from a recent feasibility study that deemed the initiative financially and operationally unviable. Despite initial investments and years of planning, the program faced persistent hurdles including limited faculty availability, high accreditation costs, and clinical constraints that made class sizes too small to be cost-effective. These challenges were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing structural changes within the VTSU system.
Launched in response to Vermont’s 2016 legislation authorizing dental therapists as mid-level practitioners, the program was intended to improve access to care in underserved communities. However, with only a handful of accredited programs nationwide and the field still emerging, VTSU has made the strategic decision to focus resources on scaling its well-established Dental Hygiene Program instead.
Backed by $6.2 million in new federal funding, VTSU will double enrollment in its dental hygiene program by 2027—from 24 to 48 students annually. This expansion reinforces the critical role dental hygienists play in preventive care, disease detection, and patient education. Click here to read more.
