How dental therapists can increase access to care in public settings

In February, The Pew Center issued a report on the profit capabilities of dental therapists in private practices. The report found that the dental therapists at the practices analyzed were able to drive up patient visits and bring in new patients while focusing on routine, low revenue procedures, leaving the dentist to perform more advanced procedures on other patients.

They have issued a follow-up to the February report, this time focusing on how dental therapists can expand access to care in public settings. The report analyzes dental therapists in Minnesota and Alaska, two of the three states in which dental therapists are allowed to practice (the third and most recent state to issue licenses to DTs is Maine), as well as registered dental hygienists and dental assistants in California.

These midlevel providers are able to practice under limited supervision of a dentist. Not surprisingly, the Pew report found that, through these providers, the underserved populations had increased access to care. It also found that nonprofit practices were able to use their money to reach more underserved people, rather than paying extra to cover a dentist’s salary.

You can read more about the report and what they found here: Expanding the Dental Team: Increasing Access to Care in Public Settings.