The University of Minnesota’s Boynton Health Dental Clinic on the East Bank abruptly shut its doors in early March, leaving patients and staff scrambling for answers. People with upcoming appointments say they were notified by text and told to seek care at the School of Dentistry, while roughly two dozen clinic employees were put on administrative leave and now face uncertain job prospects. AFSCME Local 3800 scheduled a news conference for 8:30 a.m. on March 11 at the clinic’s Church Street entrance to press the university for more details.
University says services will move to dental school
Boynton Health posted a notice announcing that the on-campus dental clinic would close and that patients would be transitioned to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s Faculty Dental Clinic, which the university says will offer expanded multi-specialty care on campus. The message directs Boynton patients who want to continue their care to call the dental school and warns that call volume is high as staff work to reschedule appointments, according to Boynton Health.
Union leaders say closure was sudden and confusing
Union representatives and employees say the shutdown landed with little warning. Staff learned on Feb. 16 that the clinic was temporarily closed and that they were being placed on administrative leave, then were informed on March 5 that the closure would be permanent. AFSCME Local 3800 president Max Vast said the union has “deep concerns” about the decision and that workers were initially told there would be no layoffs, only to later be told they were “probably going to be laid off.” The university also told the Star Tribune that the clinic had run budget deficits for six or seven years and needed major capital investments.
Patients left scrambling for care
Several patients say they received text messages in early March informing them of the closure and directing them to the dental school instead. Patient Alena Rivas told the Star Tribune she “was annoyed because it was so sudden” and now “can’t get into a new dentist until June,” a delay that shows how quickly routine and follow-up care have been disrupted.
Where to go now
The School of Dentistry's Faculty Dental Clinic has publicly welcomed Boynton patients and is asking people to be patient as phone lines light up. Its website notes that visits at teaching clinics typically take longer but can cost less than private-practice care. For scheduling and information, the dental school’s patient page directs callers to the Faculty Dental Clinic and cautions that staff are handling a heavy volume of transfer requests, per the University of Minnesota Dental Clinics.
Why this matters to Minnesota
The closure spotlights broader capacity and workforce problems in Minnesota dentistry. The University of Minnesota is pushing for major capital investment to modernize its dental school so it can train more providers, particularly for rural areas. FOX 9 reported that the university is seeking roughly $100 million in state bonding to add clinical space and chairs, a request that advocates say is tied to a statewide dentist shortage. A March 4 letter from the Minnesota Dental Association to the House Capital Investment Committee also urged support for the school’s capital request and warned that clinics are already reducing schedules or turning away new patients (Minnesota Dental Association).
What comes next for staff and patients
Boynton says the shift to the School of Dentistry is meant to preserve on-campus access and continuity of care. Union leaders say they plan to use the news conference to push the university for more transparency, including whether repairs or staffing changes could have prevented a shutdown. For now, students, staff and alumni are watching to see whether the dental school can absorb the surge in demand without long delays.
