'It’s a win-win’: Delta Dental partnering with MUSC to expand access to dental care for underserved patients Nonprofit awards $25,000 grant for new Partnering for Access to Care and Training pilot program By Maya Brown Updated: 15 hours ago CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Delta Dental is partnering with the Medical University of South Carolina and launching a new pilot program that will expand access to dental care for underserved patients while educating the next generation of oral health professionals.
The nonprofit Delta Dental awarded a $25,000 grant to the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine at MUSC to support the Partnering for Access to Care and Training pilot program, also known as PACT. Program leaders say the goal is to support student-delivered care while helping offset unreimbursed services for uninsured and underinsured patients.
“We’re partnering with them and providing funding for their dental clinic so that community members that come in can get free and low-cost care, but they’re getting this care from students,” Stacy Harris, executive director of community impact for Delta Dental of South Carolina, said. “And so the students are learning about this community-based care with faculty oversight, and then we’re also providing that free and low-cost care. So it’s a win-win.”
This also comes at a time when more than 1.7 million South Carolinians live in a federally designated dental professional shortage area, which is among the highest populations impacted in the nation.
“When there’s a dental health care gap in the state, we have longer wait times, and we have people who can’t get access to providers,” Harris said. “And so this can really cause dental issues to become more and more complex. And so we want to tackle that issue and ensure that everyone has access to a provider.”
In 2024, United for ALICE reported that 55% of South Carolina adults below the lower-income threshold had a dental visit within the prior year, compared to 73% above the threshold.
They also reported that 15% of people below the threshold in South Carolina reported that they had not visited a dentist or a dental clinic for any reason in five or more years, higher than the national average of 13%.
Experts also say dental care is connected to overall health and missing an appointment can be detrimental.
“There’s so many different connections that are being made and more defining out more every day,” Harris said. “Like for instance, a toothache can go through your bloodstream and lead to heart issues. We have to take care of these issues before they get more complex. When your care becomes more complex, it becomes more expensive, so getting those preventive visits and regularly is so important.”
The program will also provide students with opportunities to connect with industry leaders through lunch-and-learn sessions, clinical showcases and discussions focused on patient outcomes and career pathways into community-based care.
Since 2023, Delta Dental has invested more than $525,000 to support future oral health professionals and improve oral care access across the Palmetto State.
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