Geographic Focus Areas

Note: The program is closed to new applications

The location of every Applicant’s dental practice must be in a town or city with a population of less than 15,000, and in a federally-designated, rural Minnesota Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).

Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) are geographic areas, population groups, or health care facilities that has been designated by the Federal government as having a shortage of health professionals. For information on HPSA qualifying areas visit the Minnesota Department of Health website. There you will find maps to DMD-qualifying dental HPSAs in greater Minnesota.

For more details about a particular HPSA area, please see the Health Resources & Services Administration website.

Priority Counties in Minnesota

Some designated dental HPSA counties in Minnesota have greater needs for oral health and access to care than others. In order to reach counties that may benefit the greatest from the service of a DMD recipient, the DMD Program is offering special consideration to applicants proposing to work in one of the following counties:

  1. Southern Minnesota with a priority for Winona, Faribault, or Nobles
  2. Stearns, Wadena, Aitkin, Morrison, Norman, Pennington, Pine, Swift, or Todd