A dental therapist is a member of the dental team who provides preventive and restorative dental care for children and adults. The precise role varies and is dependent on the therapist's education and the various dental regulations and guidelines of each country.
More than 50 countries allow dental therapists to provide some dental services.[1][2] In the United States, dental therapists are allowed to operate in 13 states.[2][3] The American Dental Association, the largest professional association of dentists in the United States, has lobbied against allowing dental therapists to practice while the Federal Trade Commission has advocated that more dental therapists would enable greater access to oral care and strengthen competition in dental services.[2] Research shows that dental therapists provide greater access to dental care without undermining the quality of care or undermining health outcomes.[1][3][4]
- ^ a b Koppelman, Jane; Vitzthum, Kelly; Simon, Lisa (2016). "Expanding Where Dental Therapists Can Practice Could Increase Americans' Access to Cost-Efficient Care". Health Affairs. 35 (12): 2200–2206. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0844. ISSN 0278-2715. PMID 27920307.
- ^ a b c Jordan, Mary (8 April 2023). "The Unexpected Political Power of Dentists". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
- ^ a b Evans, Louis W.; Sullivan, Caswell A. (19 December 2022). "Lawmakers should act on the evidence and expand access to dental therapists". STAT.
- ^ Friedman, Jay W.; Mathu-Muju, Kavita R. (2014). "Dental Therapists: Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Underserved Children". American Journal of Public Health. 104 (6): 1005–1009. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.301895. ISSN 0090-0036. PMC 4062028. PMID 24825199.