Dentistry Today
Dental therapy is a workforce model that introduces mid-level practitioners – dental therapists – to both preventive and restorative skills.
The introduction of dental therapists appears to improve access to and equity in dental service delivery in the US.
A recent study conducted by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) assessed the satisfaction of clinical providers, organizational administrators, and patients with dental therapists working at Apple Tree Dental in Minnesota, the first US state to authorize dental therapy practice statewide. Apple Tree Dental was among the first employers of dental therapists, employing them since 2012…