DENTEX is collaboration between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the University of Washington School of Medicine Physician Assistant Training Program, MEDEX Northwest. DENTEX is committed to training Alaska Native dental health professionals to practice dental therapy with dentist supervision. The program provides a narrowly focused, competency-based, primary care curriculum that emphasizes community level dental disease prevention for underserved Alaska Native populations. The curriculum incorporates innovative public health related preventive and clinical strategies to address the vast unmet needs of the Alaska Native population.

Cohort One, which consists of three students, graduated from the program on December 12, 2008. This is the nation's first ever U.S.-trained Dental Health Aide Therapists. Before DENTEX, DHATs were required to participate in two years of training at New Zealand. The students that successfully completed their program are: Danielle Boston (Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium) , Sheena Nelson (SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Corporation) and Daniel Kennedy (Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation).

Cohort Two, which consists of six students, graduated on December 11, 2009. All students are currently in their preceptorships. The most recent DHAT graduates and their sponsors are: Tatiana Barraclough (Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association), Bernadette Charles (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), Tambre Guido (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), 

Marian Petla (Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation), Ooyuan Nagaruk (Tanana Chiefs Conference) and 

Benjamin Steward (Tanana Chiefs Conference).  

Cohort Three consists of seven students who are in their second year of training at the Yuut Elitnaurivat Dental Training Clinic in Bethel, these students are expected to graduate on December 10, 2010. As of March 2010 they've treated over 300 patients. The current second year students (and sponsors) are: Corrina Cadzow (Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, Bonnie Johnson (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), Alison Kaganak (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), Erik Linduska(Eastern Aleutian Tribes), Chelsea Shoemaker (Eastern Aleutian Tribes), and Phylicia Wilde (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation).

Cohort Four consists of six students which are in their first year of training in Anchorage and will be wrapping up the Winter 2010 Quarter. Topics the first year students have studied are: Infection Control, General Health Sciences, Radiology, Community Based Dental Prevention Projects, Dental Assisting, and Basic Life Support. They first year students (and sponsors) are: Shannon Hardy (Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments), Kate Kohl (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), Trisha Patton (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), Elsie Patrick (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Tony Stevens (Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation), and Jana Schuerch (Maniilaq Association). In January 2011 this cohort is expected to start their second year of training in Bethel.

Recruitment activities for the new 2011 class will be announced later this Spring.