More than 50 VDA-member dentists and community members joined a meeting on Thursday, October 2, at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Albemarle County to discuss preliminary plans and next steps toward launching a dental hygiene program to help meet regional workforce needs. Participants in the meeting included PVCC President Dr. Jean Runyon,  Delegate Amy Lauffer (D-Albemarle), Diantha McKeel, Vice Chair of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Nicole Winkler, Dean of Health and Life Sciences for PVCC, and John Stroffolino, Associate Dean of Health Technologies at Germanna Community College. 

Laying the groundwork for why PVCC is considering a program, Dean Winkler cited demonstrated community need and projected growth in demand for graduates with that education, as well as a regional median salary for dental hygienists of $88,938, above any other licensed healthcare occupation attainable with a two-year degree. 

In exploring options to establish a program, PVCC is considering a partnership model, similar to the Virginia Western Community College  joint venture with Laurel Ridge and Danville Community Colleges. Under the partnership model, PVCC would launch under the accreditation of Germanna Community College’s existing dental hygiene program, and benefit from a faster start-up time, lower operational costs, and shared resources with a program that consistently achieves 100% pass rates on its board exams. 

For the next steps, PVCC and GCC are finalizing a memorandum of understanding that would lay out each school’s responsibilities and obligations under a partnership model. 

Germanna Community College expects to submit a request to establish a distance site to the Commission on Dental Accreditation later this month. If approved, PVCC would be able to hire a site coordinator in the Spring of 2026, launching recruiting and marketing for the program in the Summer and Fall of 2026. 

If each step moves forward successfully and the program is able to secure necessary funding for start-up and ongoing operations costs, the first cohort of dental hygiene students would begin in sync with Germanna’s cohort in Spring of 2027. 

Representatives from PVCC expressed gratitude for the strong community support in evidence at the meeting, and concluded that while outside funding will be necessary to establish and sustain the program, they have found a valid case study to establish a dental hygiene program to serve the needs of the region. 

Dean Winkler shared a call to action, asking dental practices and community members for support as they consolidate financing, clinical sites, instructors and move toward marketing and recruiting students for the program. 

Speaking about the proposed program, Dr. D.J. Bickers said, “The Charlottesville/Albemarle dental community is very excited about a potential hygiene program in our area.  We are energized to help in any way we can to make this a reality. There has been a nationwide deficit of hygienists since COVID and we need to address this vital community need.”

Dentists and community members who were unable to attend the meeting can fill out a dental hygiene program support interest form to indicate willingness and ability to support the program’s next steps. 

PVCC Dental Hygiene Program Support Interest Form

For practices with near-term hiring needs, Germanna Community College will be hosting a dental employment networking event with their currently enrolled dental assisting, DAII and dental hygiene students October 13 at their Fredericksburg campus.

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The VDA and VCU School of Dentistry Career Fair is nearly sold out for employers, but a few spaces remain for the October 20 event in Richmond. 

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