“Dental therapy for Washingtonians is a reality because of the power built over 13 years by community, Tribal and state advocates to create accessible, equitable means of dental care.” – Emily Stewart (BOSTON, MA) – Community Catalyst joins partners Statewide Poverty Action Network and Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board in celebrating the bipartisan passage of legislation allowing more communities in Washington state to access routine, community-centered dental care through dental therapists. Washington joins a growing number of states broadly adopting dental therapy, a community-led and informed solution to care that addresses oral health inequities in underserved areas while also providing pathways to economic advancement within those communities.

Medicaid is a critical program in supporting the health and well-being of millions of families in America. About 230 organizations, including the ADTA and Families USA, submitted a letter to Congressional Leadership in support of Medicaid and to express our united opposition to any proposals to cut Medicaid funding as part of upcoming negotiations over the federal budget, debt limit, or any other legislative priorities.

On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Washington State Senate announced the final vote supporting Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 1678. Sponsored by the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness, the bill passed the House on March 4, 2023, with 53 yeas, 42 nays. The bill proceeded to the Senate where it worked its way through a public hearing, reviews by the Rules Committee, and a final vote resulting in 30 yeas, 19 nays. To view a summary of the bill, including license requirements, the scope of practice, the practice plan contract, and other provisions, click here.

Bill highlights include:

Four months after graduating with a bachelor’s in dental hygiene and a master’s in dental therapy, Claire Roesler moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Bangor, Maine, where she joined Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) as its first dental therapist. As a result, Claire has the esteemed designation of being the first dental therapist to work in the State of Maine. The state adopted legislation in 2014 recognizing dental therapy as a profession; however, the legislation had to be amended in 2019 to allow dental therapists to practice.

Like all new paths being forged, there were certainly bumps along the way. Claire spent the first four months performing hygienist work while PCHC negotiated a collaborative management agreement with a clear scope of work to practice as a dental therapist. During her first year, Claire advocated extensively for dental therapy in Maine. 

By Sarah Chagnon, ADTA President, Dental Therapist, Swinomish Dental Clinic 

Dental therapists can fill/restore any part of the tooth as long as the tooth does not need treatment to the nerve. We use all the same materials a dentist would use. 

 

What sparked your interest in becoming a dental therapist?

I went in for a dental cleaning and check-up. I told the dentist I had just gotten my associate's degree and was accepted into nursing school. Dr. Dailey encouraged me to shadow a dental therapist who worked at the clinic and recommended that I consider dental therapy instead of nursing school. That night I went home and googled dental therapy and was fascinated by the concept of a mid-level provider. I called the clinic the next day, and job shadowed Daniel Kennedy, the first dental therapist from Alaska to work in Washington State. After watching him for 30 seconds, I knew dental therapy was what I wanted to do. Five months later, I packed up my entire house and took a five-day ferry to Alaska and became a student of the Alaska Dental Therapy Education Program.  

The ADTA congratulates board members, Immediate Past President Kari Ann Kuntzelman, and Treasurer Mark Kobylinsky on becoming newly licensed dental therapists in the State of Oregon.

Kuntzelman, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, moved to Alaska in 2017 to attend the Alaska Dental Therapy Education Program (ADTEP). Upon graduating from the program, she returned home to her urban community in Portland, Oregon, to give back to her people, and join the efforts to end oral health inequity. In 2019, Kuntzelman graduated from the ADTEP Program and worked under Dental Pilot Project #100 in the State of Oregon at the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) for two and a half years. In April 2022, she joined the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board as a Dental Health Aide Education Specialist, advocating for dental therapists and other levels of dental health aides. On January 5th, 2023, Kuntzelman became the 11th licensed dental therapist in the State of Oregon.

If you are an American Indian/Alaska Native student looking for scholarship opportunities, below is a list of some scholarships to consider for the next academic year. 

The Cobell Scholarship  

Check out this great interactive tool by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center to learn the details of each state's laws and regulations for dental therapy!

Dear Dental Therapy Community,

I'm so happy to be writing to you today, as I catch my breath from the whirlwind of activity and accomplishments these past few months. We have come a long way and I wanted to provide an update as my term approaches its end and I pass the baton to Sarah Chagnon, the incoming 2023 Board President. 

On October 22nd, dental therapy students were invited to attend a National Gathering of Dental Therapy Students hosted by Dominic Comerate, Alaska Dental Therapist and Board member. We were also joined by special guest David Martin, representing the United Kingdom Dental Therapy Association. The quarterly student gatherings are a place for students to meet, talk to each other and receive support from practicing dental therapists.  Attendees left with these key takeaways: Know your scope of work for the state you are going to practice inside and out, as scopes vary from state to state right now.

The ADTA hosted their Annual Meeting virtually on October 18th. For the first time in ADTA history, supporters outside of ADTA membership were invited to join the meeting! The conference featured presentations by Dr. Sarah Shoffstall-Cone, Director Ilisagvik College/ANTHC; Dr. Rachael Hogan, Director, Skagit Valley College; Professor Danae Seyffer, University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry, Division of Dental Therapy; HRSA representatives Shane Rogers, Designated Federal Official Division of Medicine and Dentistry Bureau of Health Workforce Health Resources and Services Administration and Dr. Jennifer Holtzman, Subject Matter Expert for the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD); and updates on national, Tribal and state policies by Laura Brannon, Community Catalyst and Christina Peters, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.  Participants also had the opportunity to register for CDE with Dr. Jeremy Horst, Director of Clinical Innovations, CareQuest; and Dr. Itai Jeffries; Manager, Paths (Re)Membered Project, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. We are grateful to our supporters, ARCORA Foundation and CareQuest Institute.

While working as a dentist in Bethel, Alaska in 1999, Dr. Mary Willard felt like she was “just putting out fires.” The lack of available dentists, in combination with patients’ fears of dental procedures, meant that Mary and others were seeing patients too late to avoid pulling teeth. It was during this time that she learned about Dental Health Aide Therapists... READ MORE @ INDIAN COUNTRY ECHO >