April 2, 2024
The Honorable Jason Smith
ChairmanCommittee on Ways and Means
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Richard E. Neal
Ranking Member
Committee on Ways and Means
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Chairwoman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Frank Pallone
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Smith, Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Members Neal and Pallone:
On behalf of the undersigned members of the Organized Dentistry Coalition and other oral healthadvocacy organizations, we are writing to express our support for H.R. 7814, led by Representatives Jeff
Van Drew and Yvette Clarke. This bill would work to grow the dental workforce and address patient
access by supporting the growth of dental faculty to train more dentists and dental hygienists. The
legislation would allow full-time faculty members participating in the Health Resources and Services
Administration’s (HRSA) Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP) to exclude from income
the amount of their loan forgiveness from their federal income taxes. We urge you to support this bill.
The Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program was created to help accredited academic dental institutions
recruit and retain qualified and diverse faculty in dental schools, residencies, and advanced education
programs in general, pediatric, and public health dentistry. In order to build the dentist workforce, wemust ensure there is a pipeline of faculty to support new dentists and hygienists. Recruiting and retaining
dental faculty is a significant challenge, given the staggering level of student loan debt and income
disparity so many dentists face.
Thank you in advance for your leadership in cultivating the next generation of dental faculty to train
general, pediatric and public health dentists and hygienists. If you have any questions, please contact Mr.
C. Scott Litch at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (312-337-2169, slitch@aapd.org), Ms.
Megan Mortimer at the American Dental Association (202-898-2402, mortimerm@ada.org), or Mr. Tim
Leeth at the American Dental Education Association, (202-289-8172, leetht@adea.org).
Sincerely,
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
American Dental Association
American Dental Education Association
Academy of General Dentistry
Alabama Arise
American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology
American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology
American Academy of Periodontology
American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
American Association of Endodontists
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeonsApril 2, 2024
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American Association of Orthodontists
American Association of Public Health Dentistry
American College of Prosthodontics
American Institute of Dental Public Health
American Network of Oral Health Coalitions
American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists
American Student Dental Association
Association of Dental Support Organizations
Hispanic Dental Association
Indiana Oral Health Coalition
Minnesota Oral Health Coalition
National Dental Association
North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative / Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation
New Jersey Oral Health Coalition
Oral Health Iowa
Oral Health Kansas
Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral HealthSociety of American Indian Dentists
Virginia Health Catalyst
West Virginia Oral Health Coalition