title: U.S. Dental school deans' attitudes about mid-level providers.
abstract: The introduction of mid-level providers to the U.S. dental workforce is currently a topic of heated debate. As little is known about the opinions of those who educate oral health professionals on the subject of such practitioners, a survey of U.S. dental school deans was undertaken to gauge their attitudes about alternative workforce models in the dental profession. The survey was sent to deans of the then-fifty-eight U.S. schools of dentistry; forty-four responded for a 76 percent response rate. Over three-fourths of the respondents agreed that the scope of practice for both dental hygienists and dental assistants should be expanded; significantly, over half agreed that the future of dentistry should include a dental therapist-type practitioner. Moreover, three-fourths agreed that such practitioners or expanded-duty hygienists would improve access to care for the underserved, and between half and two-thirds agreed that the quality of care delivered by these professionals would not be a problem. The attitudes of the deans about mid-level providers falls somewhere between that reported for U.S. dentists generally, who tend to be skeptical, and for dentists in other countries, who, once they have worked in a system with dental therapists, tend to be supportive.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Social Work, Room 2753, 1080 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109;. ehp@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Mert N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Aksu
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: H Luke
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Shaefer
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012575:Schools, Dental; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: access to oral health care; delivery of dental care; dental hygienists; dental school deans; dental therapists; dental workforce; mid-level providers; oral health professionals; scope of practice