Dental therapists (DTs) are primary dental care practitioners that have been deployed in many countries around the world. There is increasingly strong evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of DTs, including their ability to promote community-based services and enhance oral health equity. Following the approval of education standards by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)…
Between 2010 and 2016, the proportion of women working in dentistry increased from 24.5% to 29.8%. Overall, female dentists were more racially/ethnically diverse, more likely to be foreign-trained, and more likely to work in pediatric dentistry than male dentists. Gender diversification in dentistry and other factors, including generational differences and changes in public policy, continue…
Due to the dangers of the opioid crisis, it is more important than ever that health providers are adequately educated about best practices for pain management, such as appropriate prescribing habits and screening for substance use disorders. While previous studies have addressed the educational curriculum about pain management in medical schools, the literature on similar…
Many children in rural areas receive teledentistry consultation before receiving treatment and follow-up care at a specialty dentistry clinic. However, little is known about what factors impact how often these children utilize follow-up oral health services. This article describes a study that examined 144 children living in rural New York who underwent a teledentistry consultation…
Many physician assistant (PA) education programs provide training in oral health competencies. However, little is known about how this education translates to clinical practice. This article describes an online survey of a national sample of 2014 PA education program graduates to determine how many PAs are educated in oral health competencies and how this education…
Dental therapists (DTs) are primary care dental providers, used globally, and were introduced in the United States (US) in 2005. DTs have now been adopted in 13 states and several Tribal nations. This article qualitatively examines the drivers and outcomes of the US dental therapy movement through a health equity lens, including community engagement, implementation…
With the graduation of more females from dental school, the dental profession is becoming more gender diverse. This study, conducted by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC), builds on previous work on gender diversity in dentistry. Researchers used data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) to evaluate the impact of dentists’ personal characteristics…
Dental therapy is a workforce model that introduces mid-level practitioners—dental therapists—with both preventive and restorative skills. The introduction of dental therapists appears to improve access to and equity in dental service delivery in the US. The Oral Health Workforce Research Center conducted a study that evaluated the satisfaction of clinical providers, organizational administrators, and patients…
Despite improvements in oral health care for children in recent years, poor pediatric oral health continues to be a serious health issue in the United States. To investigate this, a web-based survey was conducted with 1,745 parents/legal guardians regarding their children’s access to oral health services. This article identifies barriers to needed dental care for…
Teledentistry is the use of information and communication technology to deliver virtual oral health services in real time (synchronous) or through store-and-forward (asynchronous) methods. Regulatory guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated the swift adoption and expansion of teledentistry. However, considerable variability in regulation of teledentistry by states limits the ability of clinicians to provide virtual…
