Below are resources to learn more about dental therapy and oral health equity. To view/download, click on the hyperlinks.

 

Articles

In Alaska, Dental Therapists Seen as Helping to Improve Oral Health, The Pew Charitable Trusts by Jane Koppelman (2019)

Commentary: One change to dental care that could change lives, money, Chicago Tribune, Author: Grover Norquist & Don Berwick (2018)

Dental Practitioner's Perceptions of Underserved and Un-served Patients' Barriers to Oral Health Care, Dental Health: Current Research (2017)

Dental Therapy Increases Access in Rural Minnesota, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (2017)

Indian Country Leads National Movement to Knock Down Barriers to Oral Health Equity, Public Health Practice (2017)

 

Policy Statement

Support for the Alaska Dental Health Aide Therapist and Other Innovative Programs, American Public Health Association (2006)

 

Publications

American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Face A 'Disproportionate Burden of Oral Disease' Reversing Inequities Involves Challenges and Opportunities, Carequest Institute for Oral Health, Inc. (2023)

The Contributions of Dental Therapists and Advanced Dental Therapists in the Dental Centers of Apple Tree Dental in Minnesota, Center for Health Workforce Studies (2020)

Dental therapists: a global perspective, International Dental Journal, Authors: David A. Nash, Jay W. Friedman, Thomas B. Kardos, Rosemary L. Kardos, Eli Schwarz, Julie Satur, Darren G. Berg, Jaafar Nasruddin, Elifuraha G. Mumghamba, Elizabeth S. Davenport, and Ron Nagel (2008)

Dental pain as social injustice: a Rawlsian perspective, Critical Public Health, Authors: Jamie Moeller & Carlos Quiñonez (2019)

Dental Therapy in the United States, Medical Care, Authors: Elizabeth Mertz, PhD, Aubri Kottek, MPH, Miranda Werts, BA, Margaret Langelier, MSHSA, Simona Surdu, MD, PhD, and Jean Moore DrPH, FAAN (2021) 

Grand Marais Family Dentistry: Dental Therapist Case Study, Wilder Research, Amherst Wilder Foundation (2017)

Improving Oral Health Care Services in Rural America, National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services (2018)

Main Barriers to Getting Needed Dental Care All Relate to Affordability, Health Policy Institute, American Dental Association, Authors: Niodita Gupta, MD, MPH, PhD & Marko Vujicic, PhD (2019)

Midwest Dental: Dental Therapist Case Study, Wilder Research, Amherst Wilder Foundation (2017)

Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, Department of Health & Human Services (2000)

Oral Health in America Advances & Challenges, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (2021)

Oral Health Policy and Improvement Strategies in Oklahoma, Frontiers in Oral Health, Authored by: Michelle Dennison & Julie Seward (2022)

Provider and Patient Satisfaction with the Dental Therapy Workforce at Apple Tree Dental, Oral Health Workforce Research Center (May 2022)

For Want of A Dentist, The Rise of the Dental Therapy Movement in Tribal Nations and the U.S., Lessons from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation by Wendell Potter (2021)

The Reform that can Increase Dental Access and Affordability in Arizona, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Goldwater Institute 

Saskatchewan's school-based dental program staffed by dental therapists: a retrospective case study, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Kavita R. Mathu-Muju, DMD, MPH, Jay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH, David A. Nash, DMD, MS, EdD (2016)

Supporting Dental Therapy through Title VII Training Programs, A Meaningful Strategy for Implementing Equitable Oral Health Care, Health Resources & Services Administration (2022)

Tribal Oral Health Assessment Results, National Indian Health Board Tribal Oral Health Initiative (2018) 

 

Infographics

Dental Therapy Timeline, The Pew Charitable Trusts (2020)

Emergency Department Visits for Dental Conditions - A Snapshot, Health Policy Institute, The American Dental Association (Published April 2020)

 

Other

Accreditation Standards for Dental Therapy Education Programs, Commission on Dental Accreditation (2022)

Dental Therapy Toolkit, Minnesota Department of Health (2017)

Dental Therapy Startup Guide for Tribal Leaders, National Indian Health Board's Tribal Oral Health Initiative 

Expanding the Oral Health Workforce, A Dental Therapy Toolkit for Oklahoma, Native Oral Health Network (2022)

Integrating Dental Therapists and Pediatric Services - Case Study Summaries and Best Practices, Prepared for the Pew Charitable Trusts Dental Campaign by Mark Schoenbaum, MSW (2019)

Minnesota's Dental Therapist Workforce, Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health & Primary Care (2019)

Model Dental Therapist Rule, The National Model Dental Therapy Rule Panel (2022)

National Model Act for Licensing or Certification of Dental Therapists, National Dental Therapy Standards Consortium (2019)

 

Podcasts

Why Oral Health Care Is the Way It Is, American Medical Association Journal of Ethics (2022)