National Partnership for Dental Therapy Blog

Dental therapy is an innovative model of providing oral health services to underserved communities. Data is clear that dental therapists are improving the quality of care for communities most in need.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation is the entity that accredits all U.S. dental and dental hygiene schools. The standards they adopted for dental therapy education ensure training quality and consistency, while also promoting health equity.

New research in the Journal of the American Dental Association explored dental therapy in a region of Alaska. Data shows that dental therapists increase access to oral health care, and effectively complement the dental care team.

In a recent webinar, expert panelists highlighted steps that Congress and the Biden administration could take to reduce oral health disparities by leveraging dental therapists.

In the National Partnership for Dental Therapy’s recent webinar, Dental Therapy: A Free Market Health Care Solution, panelists explained why it’s an ideal bipartisan strategy to improve America’s oral health.

While serving as dental director for the Cincinnati Health Department, I led a nonprofit dental clinic that was among the largest in the nation to serve people facing homelessness, many of whom were U.S. veterans, like myself.

As the COVID-19 pandemic exposed, racial disparities and inequities in our health system run deep. When it comes to dental health, people of color and those with low incomes face the steepest hurdles to getting care.

Federal and state leaders are increasingly recognizing dental therapy as a cost-effective solution to expand access to oral health care. In 2020, the first dental therapy program was accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association, the body that accredits all U.S. dental education programs. More recently, President Biden has called for […]

In a webinar, dental therapists from three different states share experiences joining a dental team. Their diverse stories highlight how the profession is an effective solution to bring oral health care to more people and also improve care in other ways.

More than 130 groups are united by their belief that dental therapy is an equity-focused, cost-effective means of addressing a lack of dental care for far too many people across the U.S.

A recent webinar highlighted the economic benefits of dental therapy. Experts from a range of perspectives shared a similar message that it is a cost-effective solution to close gaps in access to dental care.

Oral health experts who spoke on a February webinar revealed a broader view of dental care, where dental therapists serve in diverse settings, integrated with other medical and social services to provide preventive and routine care to their community.