title: Expanding Where Dental Therapists Can Practice Could Increase Americans' Access To Cost-Efficient Care.
abstract: Since 1923, more than fifty countries have improved access to dental care by allowing midlevel providers-frequently called dental therapists-to offer preventive and restorative treatment, primarily in the public sector. A growing body of research has found that dental therapists provide high-quality, cost-effective care and improve access to care for underserved populations. This article explores the evolution of the dental therapy movement in the United States, where multiple barriers to oral health care have created persistent unmet needs. We examine developments since the 1940s that have led to the authorization of dental therapists in parts of Alaska and the states of Minnesota, Maine, and Vermont; and the approval of national accreditation standards for dental therapy training programs by dental educators. We also show how dental therapists might fit within a health care system that is being transformed.
authors.affiliation: Jane Koppelman (jkoppelman@pewtrusts.org) is research director of the dental campaign at the Pew Charitable Trusts, in Washington, D.C.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koppelman
authors.affiliation: Kelly Vitzthum is a student at the School of Dentistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. At the time this article was written, she was an oral health policy analyst at Health Care for All, in Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vitzthum
authors.affiliation: Lisa Simon is a fellow in oral health and medical integration at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a medical student at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003729:Dental Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Oral Health Care