Access to oral health care has become a growing concern over the past decade. Despite efforts to improve the oral health of the nation's population, oral health disparities persist. These disparities are characterized by compromised oral health status, particularly among certain vulnerable populations. One of the factors believed to influence access to oral health services and contribute to these disparities is the availability of a workforce equipped to meet the need for preventive and basic restorative oral health services.

The goal of the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) is to provide research on the oral health workforce to assist in future health workforce planning. Healthforce Center at UCSF is collaborating with the New York Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) at the School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York for OHWRC. OHWRC is one of five health workforce research centers in the country, but the only one uniquely focused on the oral health workforce.