Dental therapy: evolving in Minnesota's safety net.
OBJECTIVE
We identified Minnesota's initial dental therapy employers and surveyed dental safety net providers' perceptions of dental therapy.


METHODS
In July 2011, we surveyed 32 Minnesota dental safety net providers to assess their prospective views on dental therapy employment options. In October 2013, we used an employment scan to reveal characteristics of the early adopters of dental therapy.


RESULTS
Before the availability of licensed dental therapists, safety net dental clinic directors overwhelmingly (77%) supported dental therapy. As dental therapists have become licensed over the past 2 years, the early employers of dental therapists are safety net clinics.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the concept of dental therapy remains controversial in Minnesota, it now has a firm foundation in the state's safety net clinics. Dental therapists are being used in innovative and diverse ways, so, as dental therapy continues to evolve, further research to identify best practices for incorporating dental therapists into the oral health care team is needed.
Karl Self, David Born, and Amanda Nagy are with the Department of Primary Dental Care, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Karl
K
Self
David
D
Born
Amanda
A
Nagy
D003729:Dental Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D064876:Safety-net Providers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce