Research

This 2005 evaluation found dental therapists in Alaska were providing high-quality care.

This 2017 case study examines the practice of a dental therapist employed by a nonprofit organization working in a long-term care facility for veterans.

This 2018 case study examines the practice of a dental therapist at a large safety-net clinic in Minnesota.

This study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2008 examined the technical quality of the care provided by dental therapists and found it equal to that of dentists.

Published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2011, this study found restorations performed by dental therapists to be at comparable quality to those performed by dentists.

This article published in JAMA Health Forum in 2022 found that authorizing dental therapists in Minnesota resulted in improved access to dental care, particularly for low-income populations.

This article published in the journal Medical Care in 2021 found that health equity has been a driving force in the dental therapy movement but that long-term health impacts will depend on the path of implementation and a sustained commitment to the health equity principle.

This article published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry in 2018 examined 10 years of data from Alaska and found that communities with dental therapists received more preventive care and more people kept their natural teeth.

Published in 2016 in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, this study found the dental therapists it studied were trusted and productive dental team members and were primarily treating underserved patients, suggesting they were expanding access to care.

The largest evaluation of dental therapists’ practice to date, this study examined 10 years of data from an Alaskan health system and found that dental therapists delivered high-quality care, expanded access to care, and improved their communities’ oral health.

This report by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Board of Dentistry found that dental therapists were cost-effective to employ, had positive receptions by patients and employers, and were decreasing wait times and travel times for patients.

The first major independent evaluation of the Alaska dental therapist program found that dental therapists in Alaska are providing safe, competent, appropriate dental services.

These 2014 case studies examine dental therapists working in the tribal health system in Alaska and a community health center in Minnesota.

These 2014 case studies examine dental therapists working in the tribal health system in Alaska and a community health center in Minnesota.

This free e-book traces the origins and motivations of the dental therapy movement in the U.S.

This 2017 case study looks at a private practice employing a dental therapist in northern Minnesota.

Published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2017, this article examines how oral health inequities are a racial and social justice issue and how dental therapists can help advance health equity.

This 2024 study of a large safety-net practice in Minnesota found that the cost-effectiveness of hiring dental therapists enabled significant capacity expansion, particularly in community-based services, resulting in far more care being provided.

A case study from 2017, this report looks at a dental therapist working at a rural private practice in Minnesota.

Published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology in 2019, this study found high patient satisfaction with dental therapists and increased knowledge about oral health.

This 2022 report by the Center for Health Workforce Studies found high rates of satisfaction with dental therapists from both patients and other oral health providers at a large safety-net practice in Minnesota.

This 2020 economic analysis by the Center for Health Workforce Studies of a large nonprofit dental clinic found that the addition of dental therapists resulted in higher productivity and improved cost-effectiveness for the entire dental team.

This article published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry in 2022 examined how undoing structural racism in dentistry requires prioritizing the needs and priorities of communities who have been most impacted by lack of access.