The Problem: Where you live and how much money you make shouldn’t determine your access to dental care, but that is exactly the case for many in the United States.
Almost one-third of adults report having skipped dental care due to cost, and finding dental care can be a particular challenge for families with Medicaid coverage as most dentists don’t accept it.
As a result, many people — particularly BIPOC communities, low-income families, and rural communities — don’t have access to the dental care they need to support their oral and overall health.
Dental therapists are improving access to care and advancing racial and economic justice.
Across the U.S., nearly 58 million people live in areas without enough dental providers.
As a result, many people — particularly BIPOC communities, low-income families, and rural communities — don’t have access to the dental care they need to support their oral and overall health.
Causing other health complications
Interfering with work and school
Threatening family economic stability
Straining state budgets
Dental therapists are licensed providers who work under the supervision of a dentist to provide care like fillings and exams.
Dental therapy was initially brought to the U.S. by Alaska Native leaders seeking to address provider shortages by homegrowing their own providers.
Dental therapists have spread across the country and are now authorized to practice in at least some settings in 14 states.
Dental therapy is a proven, evidence-based strategy to cost-effectively increase access to care while building a more representative workforce.
Training for dental therapists is shorter and less expensive than that of dentists, making the education more accessible.
Working under general supervision, dental therapists provide care in community settings, including mobile clinics, long-term care facilities, and schools.
Using telehealth technology
Providing the most commonly needed treatments
Complementing the work of hygienists and dental assistants
Dental therapists have worked around the world for a century. The first U.S. dental therapy program was initiated by Alaska Native/American Indian leaders to address chronic dentist shortages in their communities. The ability of dental therapists to travel to remote areas quickly made an impact. They are now expanding their work to a wide range of dental shortage areas and traditional office settings in other states.
In Minnesota, similar oral health care gaps for vulnerable populations led a coalition of consumers, educators and oral health leaders to launch a campaign to authorize dental therapists in 2007. The Minnesota legislature authorized dental therapists in 2009. The first classes graduated in 2011.
In 2015, the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation, the same body that approves education programs for dentists, established national accreditation standards for dental therapists.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation, the same body that approves education programs for dentists, passed national accreditation standards for dental therapists. Currently, five schools in the U.S. are graduating providers: three in Minnesota, one in Alaska, and one in Washington. Several more colleges and universities are preparing to educate dental therapists.
No. Broadly speaking, dental hygienists are experts on the soft-tissue (gums) and prevention, while dental therapists primarily focus on the hard surfaces (the teeth) and filling cavities. Some schools offer dual-track education programs or give advanced standing for hygienists who wish to pursue dental therapy. To learn more about all the important roles on the oral health team, check out our fact sheet.
Dental therapists are authorized in at least some settings in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Over a dozen other states and Tribal governments are in the process of exploring authorization of dental therapists.
You can help bring visibility to this issue by having your organization endorse dental therapy. Plus, you can be up-to-date with all things dental therapy by subscribing to our newsletter!
Dental therapists are delivering oral health care to tens of thousands of people in the United States who otherwise would not be able to receive it. But not everyone has the opportunity to see a dental therapist.
Co-chaired by Community Catalyst, the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, the National Coalition of Dentists for Health Equity, and the American Dental Therapy Association, the goal of the National Partnership for Dental Therapy is to elevate the visibility and broad, multi-sectorial support for dental therapy as an evidence-based way to improve access to oral health. We believe all communities could benefit from dental therapists, but the focus of the Partnership is improving access to much needed dental care to communities where the needs are the greatest. Support for dental therapy spans the political and geographic spectrum and over 175 groups have signed on to the NPDT to show their support for these innovative, community-focused providers.
Please help bring visibility to this issue by having your organization endorse dental therapy.
