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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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3701 Department of Health - Administration and Director |
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Chapter3701-58. Dental Hygienist Loan Repayment Program |
3701-58-04. Dental health resource shortage areas
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(A) Dental health resource shortage areas shall include all of the following:
(1) A geographic area, facility (including federally qualified health centers), or population group in this state that has been designated by the United States secretary of health and human services as a dental health professional shortage area under 42 C.F.R. in accordance with Appendix B to 42 C.F.R. Part 5 (1993).
(2) A geographic area, one or more facilities within a particular area, or a population group within a particular area which:
(a) Has a population to dentist ratio exceeding four thousand to one and is in an appalachian county; or
(b) Has a population to dentist ratio exceeding four thousand to one and a minority population which exceeds seventy per cent; or
(c) Has a low-income population (less than or equal to two hundred per cent of federal poverty level) to dentist serving the low-income population (adjusted to full-time equivalent) ratio exceeding four thousand to one; or
(d) Has insufficient capacity, such as unusually long wait time for new patient appointments (more than six weeks for routine dental services) or two-thirds of dentists do not accept new patients; or
(e) Demonstrates the population in the area experiences significant barriers to obtaining dental care.
(3) A free clinic as defined in section 3701.071 of the Revised Code, regardless of whether a clinic is located in a geographic area that is designated as a dental health resource shortage area.
(B) In determining whether to approve an area, facility or population as a dental health resource shortage area, the director shall consider:
(1) Population groups that experience special oral health problems, such as low-income, medicaid, minority, migrant, homeless, nursing home residents and other population groups as determined by the director to have special oral health problems;
(2) Dentist practice patterns that limit access to dental care.
(C) The director shall give priority to the dental health resource shortage areas, based on the following factors, with the population to dentist ratio receiving the highest priority:
(1) Population to dentist ratio in the dental health resource shortage area;
(2) Per cent of the population with incomes below the poverty level or other oral health status indicators of the target population such as community water fluoridation; and
(3) Travel time or distance to the nearest source of care outside of the dental health resource shortage area.