---
type: "LegalText"
title: "42 U.S.C. § 256f"
description: "Designated dental health professional shortage area"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
chapter_number: "6A"
chapter_name: "PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE"
section: "256f"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 256f"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc42@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s256f"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-42/usc42.xml"
source_hash: "dfefab81b796129536b3174976004cf12f66dc99d53be3abd19cc7f378a19712"
raw_snapshot_hash: "644321055a08eb1f260a6a3e31ac157fa024756abf612a9fd6857e7e400cf24e"
text_hash: "3cc628b8ce1bd97b25ad2484de70e9704a29fc3cea6fe30efb2e74bdecfa3e6b"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 42 U.S.C. § 256f - Designated dental health professional shortage area

## Text

In this subpart, the term “designated dental health professional shortage area” means an area, population group, or facility that is designated by the Secretary as a dental health professional shortage area under section 254e of this title or designated by the applicable State as having a dental health professional shortage.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 340F, as added Pub. L. 107–251, title IV, § 403, Oct. 26, 2002, 116 Stat. 1660.)