June 28, 2022
The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair
U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor andPensions Committee
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Richard Burr
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor andPensions Committee
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Bobby Scott
Chair
U.S. House Committee on Education andLabor
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Virginia Foxx
Ranking Member
U.S. House Committee on Education andLabor
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairwoman Murray, Chairman Scott as well as Ranking Members Burr and Foxx:

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), which represents more than
9,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) in the United States, urges Congress to address thesignificant and negative impact that high student loan debt has on millions of borrowers.

We recognize potential action by President Biden to forgive a portion of student loan debt would
provide some level of relief for millions of borrowers, including medical and dental residents who
undertake several years of residency with very low pay and often defer payment of their student
loans. That being said, forgiveness is a one-time action, providing only temporary relief to current
borrowers. Congress needs to enact additional, long-term legislative solutions to ensure borrowers
do not continue to be burdened with insurmountable student debt levels.

One solution Congress should consider is the “Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act”
(S 3658/HR 4122). This bipartisan bill, if passed, will allow borrowers to qualify for interest-freedeferment on their student loans while serving in a medical or dental internship or residency
program. While in residency, physicians and dentists are often unable to begin repaying theirsubstantial student debt immediately. As a result, they qualify to have their payments halted duringresidency through deferment or forbearance processes, but they continue to accrue interest that
can add tens of thousands of dollars to their loan balance over the life of the loan.
Passage of the REDI Act also could have a real impact on patient care. By saving thousands ofdollars in interest, the concepts of opening practices in underserved areas or entering faculty or
research become more attractive and affordable to residents.

OMSs are surgically and medically trained dental specialists who treat conditions, defects, injuries
and esthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws, neck and face. After earning a dental degree from anaccredited four-year dental school, OMSs complete a minimum of four years of hospital-based oral
and maxillofacial surgery residency training that includes rotations in such areas as generalsurgery, anesthesia, and clinical research. Nearly 40 percent also earn a medical degree or complete
a fellowship training program, which further adds to their debt.
The cost of medical and dental education has increased significantly over the last decade. For
example, the average tuition and fees for first-year dental students in 2020-21 was $55,521 forresidents and $71,916 for non-residents, compared to $35,422 and $50,053, respectively, in 201011. This represents a 57 percent increase for residents and 44 percent for non-residents during thesame time period. 1

The elimination of subsidized graduate loans and higher student loan interest rates has further
increased student loan debt for OMSs over the last decade, making it challenging for them toconsider serving in underserved areas or in faculty or research positions. A 2017 survey of OMSs,
who were current residents or recent graduates at the time, revealed more than 51 percent hadover $350,000 in student debt; 43 percent had a monthly loan payment over $3,000; 59 percent
said their debt would impact the type of practice they would enter; and 62 percent reported theirdebt would determine the geographical location of their practice. 2AAOMS would be pleased to work with you and your colleagues to advance this importantlegislation. Please contact Jeanne Tuerk, AAOMS Director of Government Affairs, at 800-822-6637,ext. 4321, or jtuerk@aaoms.org.
Sincerely,

J. David Johnson Jr., DDSAAOMS President

1 2020-21 Survey of Dental Education – Report 2: Tuition, Admission and Attrition. Available at:https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dental-education. Accessed May 5, 2022.

2 Bruno, E, Zastrow, S, Covello, P, Hammer, D. The Resident Organization of the American Association of Oral andMaxillofacial Surgeons Debt Task Force Perspective on Educational Debt and the Impact on the Specialty of Oral andMaxillofacial Surgery. JOMS. 2019; 77:235-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2018.09.018