Mission Statement
DENTEX is an Alaska based program that educates
Dental Health Aide Therapists to provide dental care to
Alaska Native communities.

DENTEX is collaboration between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the University of Washington School of Medicine Physician Assistant Training Program, MEDEX Northwest. DENTEX is committed to training Alaska Native dental health professionals to practice dental therapy with dentist supervision. The program provides a narrowly focused, competency-based, primary care curriculum that emphasizes community level dental disease prevention for underserved Alaska Native populations. The curriculum incorporates innovative public health related preventive and clinical strategies to address the vast unmet needs of the Alaska Native population.

Cohort One, which consists of three students, graduated from the program on December 12, 2008. This is the nation's first ever U.S.-trained Dental Health Aide Therapists. Before DENTEX, DHATs were required to participate in two years of training at New Zealand. As of April 2009, Cohort One students are now completing their preceptorships to prepare for certification through the CHAP Certification Board.

Cohort II, which consists of six students, is in its second year of training at the newly constructed Yuut Elitnaurviat (People's Place of Learning, in Yup'ik) Technical Education and Support Services Building in Bethel.

Cohort III consists of eight students. They entered the program on January 5, 2009 with a precession course that oriented them to school, what to expect, and the over all transition to Anchorage. The winter quarter started the following week and the students covered curriculum materials including: dental assisting, general health sciences, infection control, radiology, and community based dental prevention projects. They are also learning to perform basic dental exams and beginning clinical work with dental sealants, and radiology.

Starting in May 2009, DENTEX will begin to accept applications for Cohort IV, which begins in January 2010. Applications will be made available on line. Information and the complete admission packet is available on the University of Washington website at http://depts.washington.edu/dentexak/mission.html