Central Penn College & Verber Dental Group Join Forces to Tackle Workforce Shortage
In a recent ABC27 Good Day PA segment, Dr. Michael Verber and Ann Hoffman, Director of the Dental Program at Central Penn College, announced exciting news about the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s approval for Central Penn’s new dental hygiene program. This development represents a crucial step toward addressing Pennsylvania’s dental workforce shortage that affects millions of residents who lack access to care or rely on emergency rooms for dental infections. Dr. Verber emphasized that expanding educational opportunities is key to solving this crisis, noting that Central Penn has already successfully launched dental assisting and expanded function dental assisting programs.
The next step involves securing accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation before enrolling dental hygiene students. Meanwhile, Central Penn is preparing by establishing a dental education clinic where students can practice while providing free or low-cost care to patients who face appointment availability or financial barriers. The college currently offers a 9-month dental assisting certificate program and a 6-month expanded function dental assistant program for current assistants seeking skill advancement. These programs provide ladder opportunities for career progression from dental assistant to expanded function assistant to hygienist—all lucrative, family-sustaining careers with minimal student debt.
Interested individuals can learn more at VerberDentalGroup.com/careers.
