College of Eastern Idaho Launches Dental Hygiene Degree Program in Idaho Falls to Combat Workforce Shortage
Why It Matters
Eastern Idaho dental practices have struggled for years to find and retain qualified dental hygienists, leaving local patients facing longer wait times and reduced access to preventative care. A new two-year degree program launching this fall at the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) in Idaho Falls aims to address that shortage by training homegrown professionals who will stay and work in the communities where they were educated.
The program represents a tangible response to a statewide and national workforce crisis in allied health professions — one that, according to CEI leadership, has too often been left out of broader healthcare workforce conversations.
What Happened
CEI has launched an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene degree program, set to welcome its inaugural class of 10 students in August 2026. The two-year program will become just the fourth dental hygiene program available statewide, filling a significant gap in eastern Idaho’s healthcare education infrastructure.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation has granted initial accreditation to the program. Dr. Kandis Garland, a 25-year veteran of the field who most recently taught at the Oregon Institute of Technology and spent 14 years as an instructor at Idaho State University, will serve as program manager. Garland began developing the curriculum and completing the accreditation process in January 2024.
Leading Idaho 2.0, a regional civic and economic development organization, donated $200,000 to fund the program’s technology needs, underscoring local investment in solving the workforce shortage.
By the Numbers
- 10 students will make up the program’s inaugural cohort beginning in August 2026.
- 4th program statewide — CEI’s new offering becomes only the fourth dental hygiene degree program available in Idaho.
- $200,000 donated by Leading Idaho 2.0 to fund program technology.
- 25 years of combined field and instructional experience held by program manager Dr. Kandis Garland.
- A recent American Dental Association report classified recruitment of hygienists as “very” or “extremely” challenging, citing a shortage of qualified practitioners as the top staffing obstacle facing dentists nationwide.
What They’re Saying
Dr. Angela Sackett, CEI’s vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, noted that dental professions are frequently overlooked in healthcare workforce discussions alongside other allied health fields such as surgical technology and medical lab science. “Our region has experienced an ongoing shortage of dental hygienists, making it difficult for local dental practices to remain fully staffed,” Sackett said.
Dr. Bryce Burtenshaw, DDS, of Family Dental Health Center and a member of the CEI Technical Advisory Committee, echoed those concerns. “Dental practices are facing ongoing challenges in hiring and retaining dental hygienists, making it difficult to meet the rising demand for care in our community,” Burtenshaw said.
Garland, who obtained her undergraduate and master’s degrees in dental hygiene at the University of Minnesota, said geographic drain is a key driver of the local shortage. “We find a lot of people from this area wind up going to Utah or other areas, so this really serves the local community and region,” she said. “Students will now be able to stay and work in the community in which they live.”
Zoom Out
The dental hygiene shortage is not unique to eastern Idaho. The American Dental Association’s findings reflect a nationwide pattern of dental practices struggling to staff qualified hygienists — a problem compounded in rural and mountain west states where training pathways are limited. Idaho’s challenge of retaining locally educated healthcare workers is part of a broader workforce and education funding conversation that dominated much of the 2026 legislative session.
CEI’s dental hygiene program follows a growing trend of Idaho community colleges partnering with industry and civic organizations to address skilled-worker shortfalls. Similar workforce development partnerships have emerged in the technology sector, with institutions collaborating directly with employers to build training pipelines for high-demand careers.
Upon graduation, students will be eligible to sit for a series of written and clinical board exams required for licensure as a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) — a credential that opens a clearly defined career pathway at a higher level of training and responsibility than dental assisting.
What’s Next
The inaugural class of 10 dental hygiene students is expected to begin coursework at CEI’s Idaho Falls campus in August 2026. Students who complete the two-year program will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree and become eligible for the licensure examination process required to practice as a Registered Dental Hygienist in Idaho. CEI officials have emphasized that expanding locally available training pathways is central to building a sustainable healthcare workforce that serves eastern Idaho’s long-term needs.
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