Aspen Dental CBCE program

A win for students, schools, practices, underserved communities

Abel Gayton recently stepped outside the classroom and into a fast-paced, high-needs dental clinic. Specifically, Mr. Gayton, a fourth-year student at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, participated in a three-week externship at Aspen Dental in Loveland, Colorado, as part of the Aspen Dental Community Based Clinical Education program.  

“It was a very good experience,” said Ahmed M. Hameed, D.M.D., owner of the Loveland practice and Mr. Gayton’s preceptor. “Abel was motivated and wanted to learn, and the more eager he was to learn, the more fun it was to mentor and teach him.” 

In partnership with dental schools, the program offers dental students an opportunity to enhance their clinical skills through hands-on experience in a dynamic learning environment that benefits not only students, but schools, Aspen Dental offices and underserved communities alike. 

“The CBCE program is a way industry can work with academia to solve real-world challenges,” said John Murphy, vice president of talent acquisition at TAG – The Aspen Group.  

Preparing students for life in practice 

Through the Aspen Dental CBCE program, Mr. Gayton gained exposure to a variety of dental procedures — such as implants, surgical extractions, prosthodontics, crowns and endodontics — in the setting of a high-volume clinic. “I’ve been able to broaden the knowledge that I’ve learned in dental school,” he explained. 

Working alongside the dentists, the externs can tap into the doctors’ expertise. Mr. Gayton said he often discussed surgical techniques with Dr. Ahmed. The result: “I am absolutely a lot more confident in my own skills,” Mr. Gayton said. 

The CBCE program also exposed the extern to office dynamics and practice management. “Abel started thinking, yeah, I'm not just limited to two or three hours to do one procedure in the morning and then a session in the afternoon in the dental school,” said Dr. Ahmed. “Now, I also want to learn the business part.”  

“The first day of my rotation really opened my eyes,” Mr. Gayton said. “There's a lot more to being a dentist than just clinical skills. It’s running a practice, running a schedule, delegating tasks and being a leader within the office.” 

 

Establishing a lasting partnership 

The Aspen Dental CBCE program began in 2018 as a discussion between Mr. Murphy and Wilhelm “Bill” Piskorowski, D.D.S., who retired as associate dean for community-based clinical education for UCLA School of Dentistry in 2023. At the time of the discussion, Dr. Piskorowski served as clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where he ran an externship program, said Mr. Murphy. “We have offices in Michigan with excellent dentists who might like to be a part of the program, so Dr. Piskorowski and I just started working through the nuances of how that could become a reality,” he said.  

The Aspen Dental CBCE program has since expanded to include five schools — UCLA, Michigan, Washington, Roseman and Colorado — with plans to add four more dental schools in 2025, said Mr. Murphy. Administrative support, in areas such as developing agreements with the schools and placing students, is provided by ACES Health, a consulting organization that supports sustainable and accountable CBCE programs across the Unites States. The consultancy was co-founded in 2023 by Dr. Piskorowski, who also serves as CEO. 

More than 148 students have already benefited from the Aspen CBCE program, with 65 set to participate this year. “Schools are looking for ways to create meaningful experiences for their students,” Mr. Murphy explained. “Now that the program is more established, they are proactively approaching us and are asking, ‘How can we partner and become a part of this program?’” 

Enriching the academic curriculum 

By providing externs with exposure to complex procedures, Aspen’s CBCE program provides dental schools with valuable resources to enhance their curricula.  

“Accessing the financial resources to run a clinic and recruiting faculty can be challenging in today’s environment for dental schools,” said Mr. Murphy.  “This program offers students hands-on experiences in a state-of-the-art, well-equipped setting that helps prepare them to enter the workforce, and I think that’s important to the schools.”  

One of the key resources Aspen offers is access to the highly skilled clinicians in its network. As a dental support organization, Aspen provides support services to more than 1,100 private practices that leverage the Aspen Dental brand. “Schools need faculty — there are roughly 300 open jobs in the 70 dental schools — and Aspen can offer a substantial network of dentists,” said Mr. Murphy. 

Opportunities for recruitment, brand awareness 

The CBCE program offers significant benefits for Aspen Dental practices, which hire roughly 7-10% of new graduating dentists in the United States, according to Mr. Murphy. Not only do preceptors have the opportunity to mentor the students, but they also have the chance to evaluate their clinical skills, work ethic and leadership potential — very similar to a working interview, explained Mr. Murphy. If a preceptor identifies a student who possesses the right competencies and character, they can encourage the student to consider and apply to join their practice upon graduation.  

Mr. Murphy estimated that 10% of the graduating dentists who have gone through the externship program have accepted jobs with Aspen Dental. "It’s an opportunity for the student and the practice," he said. 

Mr. Gayton said, “I see a big future definitely with Aspen and hopefully we can continue growing from here.” Dr. Ahmed said he would hire Mr. Gayton immediately. 

In addition to its recruitment value, the CBCE program creates brand awareness. “Students share their experiences with their peers, professors and faculty,” noted Mr. Murphy. “That has created awareness of the brand and the opportunities in the Aspen network even for those students who do not take part in this program.” 

Reaching underserved communities 

The opportunities to recruit through the Aspen CBCE program can ultimately impact those who live in underserved communities. While about 70% of providers are concentrated in five major metropolitan areas, Mr. Murphy estimated that 60% or more of the offices in the Aspen Dental network are in locations designated as health professional shortage areas. According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, more than 10,000 dental health practitioners are needed in the shortage areas.   

Professionals and students may be reluctant to consider relocating to HPSAs, particularly those in less populated, remote regions. “If you’re attending school in Los Angeles, you may not be immediately open to moving to an area like Northwest Michigan,” he explained. However, the community-based program can place students in a more remote and tertiary area where people need their help, Mr. Murphy said.  

“By introducing students to places they may not have considered, we can help them see the value and understand what the opportunity to run a successful practice might look like,” he said. “We’re helping create access to care for millions of people who may not necessarily have it, and to me, that’s a good first step in a program that continues to evolve.”