Using one-time Congressionally Directed Spending secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, the University of Maine at Presque Isle plans to build out an allied dental classroom and clinic so the University of Maine at Augusta can deliver in-demand allied dental health education and community care in northern Maine
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — As part of strategic efforts to meet the state’s workforce needs and improve the health and well-being of Mainers and their communities, the University of Maine System (UMS) plans to expand allied dental health education to Aroostook County for the first time through a multi-university collaboration.
The UMS Board of Trustees Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee gave preliminary approval on Wednesday for the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) to spend up to $1.8 million to construct an on-campus dental lab so the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) can offer dental assisting and expanded functions dental assisting (EFDA) programs there starting in 2026.
The full Board will be asked to give final authorization to the project at its next regular meeting on Jan. 13.
The renovation of existing space in Wieden Hall and equipment will be funded by $750,000 in one-time Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King on behalf of UMS and a $1.05 million commitment from UMPI.
“There is dire demand for dental care in the County and I applaud our universities for collaborating to address this need together while also creating opportunities for those in northern Maine to pursue meaningful, good-paying careers in the region as allied oral health professionals,” said UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy.
Most of Maine is a federally designated dental health professional shortage area and just 28% of the state’s dental needs are being met (External Site).
To help address these workforce and oral health care needs, UMA is expanding access to its allied dental education programs, which include Maine’s only Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) approved dental assisting program and the only EFDA program (External Site) approved by the Maine Board of Dental Practice.
In October, UMA cut the ribbon on its expanded Lewiston Center dental education clinic (External Site), which was renamed the Delta Dental Oral Health Center in recognition of a grant from Northeast Delta Dental that doubled the size of the space. Between the Lewiston location and its Bangor campus clinic, UMA can now annually train 30 dental assisting students and 30 EFDA students, who also provide free and low-cost preventative and basic restorative services to eligible Mainers including low-income children and Veterans. The university also enrolls 60 dental hygiene students in Bangor and boasts a 100% job placement rate for its allied dental health graduates – 95% of whom stay in the state.
The addition of a Presque Isle location with three operatories (dental chairs) through its partnership with UMPI will enable UMA to train six additional dental assisting students and six EFDA students at a time starting in the fall of 2026 and to offer oral health services in central Aroostook County starting in the spring of 2027.
“As the community-based Maine School Oral Health Program (SOHP) provider in Aroostook County, Aroostook County Action Program provides preventative oral health care to children enrolled in public school as well as at WIC clinics and Head Start classrooms. Through that extensive outreach work, we can certainly attest to the need for additional trained oral health professionals in northern Maine,” said ACAP Executive Director/CEO Jason Parent. “Having a County-based allied dental education program will go a long way toward ensuring area residents will be able to access the needed services close to home, especially lower-income households who altogether too often go without regular oral health care.”
In a joint statement, UMPI President Ray Rice and UMA President Jenifer Cushman said, “We are grateful to Senators Susan Collins and Angus King for securing needed start-up funds to bring high-quality allied dental education to northern Maine for the first time. We think this partnership is something to smile about and when the workforce training program and clinic are open, will make a real difference in improving the oral, physical and economic health of the County.”
Enabled by the System’s innovative unified accreditation and guided by its first strategic plan in nearly two decades, UMS universities have been collaborating in new ways to increase Maine’s health care workforce and decrease health disparities, said Chancellor Malloy.
UMA and UMPI also deliver a shared medical laboratory technology program in both Presque Isle and Augusta and the University of Maine at Fort Kent offers its undergraduate nursing degree program at UMPI.
Meanwhile, UMA recently announced a partnership with the University of Maine at Machias (External Site) to deliver a four-year nursing degree program to place-bound students in Washington County starting next fall and already collaborates on a shared nursing program with the University of Maine at Farmington (External Site). Its Lewiston Center is co-located at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn Campus.
About the University of Maine System
The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state’s largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.
Media Contact:
Samantha Warren
Director of External Affairs, University of Maine System
207-632-0389 / samantha.warren@maine.edu