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The Dental Outreach Program was established in 1978 to provide dental services to areas of the province that were identified as isolated and under serviced. At that time, besides the northern isolated areas, 41 communities were identified as being under serviced. In 1979 funds for the Program to provide access to dental services in rural and isolated areas were approved. The program commenced in 1980.

The Dental Outreach Program (DOP) is one strategy implemented by the Dental Health Program, of the Public Health Division, to assist with monitoring, sustaining and restoring the dental health of Albertans. This strategy was to assist with the achievement of the health goal "to have appropriate, accessible and affordable health services" as reported in the Health Goals for Alberta: Progress Report, published by Alberta Health in December 1993.

In April 1996 Alberta Health transferred the administration of the Dental Outreach Program (DOP) to the Department of Dentistry of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta. Alberta Health determined that the The Department had extensive experience in the operation of the external clinics through its Satellite program and also the expertise to appraise the clinical operations of these areas.

Areas which qualify for DOP are assessed according to the following quidelines:

A request for service must be issued by the community. These requests may be initiated by the town council, the health unit or another concerned organization. The area must be defined as being underserviced, using a dentist:patient ratio of approximately 4000-5000 people in the catchment area. The catchment area of a community is defined as being the population within a 25 mile radius of the community.

Two other factors characterize areas as underserviced:

1. if they have unsuccessfully tried to recruit dentists in the past, and
2. if the population currently had dental services but there is still a dentist:patient ratio in excess of the recommended ratio.

Once a community has been defined as underserviced, there are several ways of how services may be provided. The community is assessed as to which strategy is the most appropriate way to deliver services.