In a recent editorial, “Licensing ‘dental therapists’ could give more Americans the care they need,” The Washington Post recognized midlevel dental providers as a means of increasing access to badly needed preventive and restorative oral health services. Citing recent Pew case studies that measure the impact of dental therapists in both private practice and public health settings, the editorial called the results “encouraging” as one solution to the dental care crisis. It also responded to skepticism from the American Dental Association about the financial benefits of therapists, arguing, “It’s not a reason to continue artificially constraining the supply of qualified practitioners.”
Read the full editorial at the Washington Post.