Madison College Expands Dental Hygiene Program
Additional graduates from the dental hygiene program ensure a strong dental workforce and a direct solution to the dental hygienist shortage in Wisconsin.
Ensuring a strong dental workforce is an important part of Delta Dental of Wisconsin Foundation’s (Foundation) mission. The Foundation is proud to partner with Madison College via a grant which will expand their dental hygiene program, adding an additional four students per year. The increase to eight students total between first and second year and additional clinic resources directly supports the growing demand by student interest and, more importantly, the industry.
The grant from the Foundation will fund an added dental operatory and equipment for student training, with the additional students starting in Fall 2022. The ultimate goal of the dental hygiene program at Madison College is to graduate highly skilled and passionate dental hygienists into the field. With an average program retention rate of 97%, this has a positive impact on the hygienist shortage in the state.
“We’ve been working on addressing the dental hygienist shortage for the past few years,” stated Ann Boson, executive director of the Delta Dental of Wisconsin Foundation. “A similar grant was awarded two years ago to the program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, but it is going to take more partnerships to fill the gap.”
The Foundation supports dental hygiene students with four scholarships awarded annually for the past 12 years. We are committed to ensuring a strong dental workforce in Wisconsin for years to come.