Akron Children's launched Ohio's fifth pediatric dentistry residency program on July 1, 2026, a two year training track that accepts three dental school graduates each year and prepares them to treat infants, children, teens, and kids with special health care needs. The move matters for families well beyond Ohio because roughly 76 million people in the United States live in areas the federal government designates as dental shortage areas, and every new pediatric specialist is one more provider who can see a child who might otherwise wait months or travel hours for care.
What exactly did Akron Children's announce?
Akron Children's announced a new pediatric dentistry residency that began accepting residents on July 1, 2026, making it the fifth such program in Ohio. The program received initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation, accepts three dental school graduates annually, and runs for two years. It is based in the health system's Celeste Myers Dental Clinic, which the program is intended to strengthen as a hospital based academic pediatric dental clinic.
Residents train in routine pediatric care and in the harder cases that community practices often cannot handle: children with complex medical needs, developmental disabilities, behavioral challenges, dental trauma, and cases that require sedation or general anesthesia. That scope is the point. Pediatric dentists complete two to three years of specialty training after dental school, and hospital based programs are where they learn to treat the youngest and most medically fragile patients.
Who is leading the program?
The program is led by faculty who framed it as a fix for three linked problems at once. Dr. Abidin Hakan Tuncer, the Myers Endowed Chair for Pediatric Dentistry at Akron Children's, put it plainly.
"This program is important because it connects three major priorities: children's oral health, access to care and workforce development." Dr. Abidin Hakan Tuncer, Myers Endowed Chair for Pediatric Dentistry, Akron Children's
Dr. Tuncer also noted that "there is a significant need for pediatric dentists who are trained to care for infants, children, adolescents and children with special health care needs." Dr. Devin Byard, the residency program director, oversees a curriculum that spans routine visits through management of children with complex medical needs, and said the program "will elevate the Celeste Myers Dental Clinic by strengthening it as a hospital-based academic pediatric dental clinic."
Why does one residency matter for families?
A residency matters because pediatric dentists tend to stay and practice near where they train, so a new program is a long term supply of local specialists, not a one time event. Training programs also keep a teaching clinic open to families right away, including children on Medicaid and those with medical complexity who are frequently turned away elsewhere. In a market where a family may wait weeks for a first pediatric appointment, adding a hospital based clinic and a pipeline of new dentists eases both problems at the same time.
The need is not abstract. Untreated tooth decay is still the most common chronic disease of childhood, and it drives missed school days, emergency room visits, and pain that interferes with eating and speaking. When a region lacks specialists, the children who lose out most are the ones with the highest needs.
How bad is the pediatric dental shortage nationwide?
The shortage is large and measurable: federal data show thousands of communities without enough dental providers to meet basic need. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as reported in June 2026, the United States had 7,940 dental care Health Professional Shortage Areas, home to about 76 million people, and it would take an estimated 12,715 additional dental practitioners to lift those designations. Those figures count all dentists, and pediatric specialists are a small slice of that workforce, which is why access gaps hit children especially hard in rural and lower income areas.
There is a hopeful trend underneath the strain. A study by Surdu and colleagues published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2019 and cited by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry projected that the number of US pediatric dentists would grow by more than 60 percent between 2016 and 2030. New residencies like Akron's are part of how that projection becomes real providers in real clinics.
Key facts at a glance
- 7,940 dental shortage areas covering about 76 million people in the United States, with 12,715 more dental practitioners needed to remove the designations (Health Resources and Services Administration, June 2026).
- 51 percent of Ohio third graders had a history of tooth decay and 19 percent had untreated decay (Ohio Oral Health Screening Survey of Third Grade Schoolchildren, 2023 to 2024).
- More than 60 percent projected growth in US pediatric dentists between 2016 and 2030 (Surdu et al., Journal of the American Dental Association, 2019, via the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry).
What do the Ohio numbers show about children's teeth?
The Ohio numbers show a state where decay remains common and preventive care is uneven, which is exactly the gap a training clinic is meant to close. In the state's 2023 to 2024 screening of third graders, 51 percent had a history of tooth decay, 19 percent had untreated decay, and 19 percent needed to see a dentist for early or urgent care, including 4 percent who needed immediate attention. Local reporting on the Akron program noted that Ohio ranked 49th nationally for preventive dental visits among children ages 1 to 17.
| Metric | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio third graders with a history of tooth decay | 51% | Ohio third grade screening, 2023 to 2024 |
| Ohio third graders with untreated decay | 19% | Ohio third grade screening, 2023 to 2024 |
| Ohio third graders needing early or urgent care | 19% (4% immediate) | Ohio third grade screening, 2023 to 2024 |
| US residents in dental shortage areas | ~76 million | HRSA, June 2026 |
| Additional dental practitioners needed nationally | 12,715 | HRSA, June 2026 |
What can parents do now to find pediatric dental care?
Parents do not have to wait for a new clinic to open to get a child established with the right dentist, and the single most useful step is to book a first visit early. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by a child's first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. Establishing a dental home early means a provider already knows your child before a problem, an injury, or an anxious appointment arrives.
If you are looking for a specialist, a pediatric dentist is trained specifically for children, including nervous and medically complex kids. Practices such as Hurst Pediatric Dentistry in Hurst, Texas, Oak Mountain Pediatric Dentistry in Birmingham, Alabama, and Super Kids Dental in Riverside, California, are examples of child focused clinics you can find and contact through this directory. When access is tight, ask whether a practice accepts Medicaid or CHIP, offers a sliding scale, or has a waitlist for cancellations, since those are the fastest routes to an appointment.
For families worried about coverage and cost, the access picture is shifting quickly. Our earlier coverage of proposed Medicaid dental cuts and of gaps in school dental programs explains why the children with the highest needs are often the hardest to reach, and why a new hospital based clinic can matter so much in a single community.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Akron Children's pediatric dentistry residency start?
The program began accepting residents on July 1, 2026. It is a two year residency that accepts three dental school graduates each year and holds initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Is the residency clinic open to families?
The residency is based in Akron Children's Celeste Myers Dental Clinic, a hospital based academic pediatric dental clinic. Hospital based teaching clinics typically see children directly, including patients with complex medical needs, though families should contact the clinic for current availability and eligibility.
What is a dental shortage area?
A dental Health Professional Shortage Area is a federal designation for a place that does not have enough dental providers to meet the population's need. As of June 2026, HRSA counted 7,940 such areas covering about 76 million people.
How is a pediatric dentist different from a general dentist?
A pediatric dentist completes two to three additional years of specialty training after dental school focused on infants, children, teens, and patients with special health care needs. That training covers child behavior guidance, growth and development, sedation, and care for medically complex children.
Updated July 2026. Figures are drawn from Akron Children's announcements as reported by Business Journal Daily and Spectrum News, from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and from Health Resources and Services Administration shortage area data.
