Short of dentists, Maine adds teeth to doctors' training

Dentists are in such short supply in Maine that primary care doctors who do their medical residency in the state are learning to perform basic dental skills through a program that began in 2005. In Maine, training physicians in dentistry provides a dental safety net for the rural poor who have never had one, doctors and dentists said. About two-thirds of the residents who have trained at the dental clinic now practice in the state, many in rural areas.