Task Force Report Shows Clear Support for Dental Therapy Expansion
For years, state lawmakers requested all sides of the issue come together for a full discussion on how to expand the practice of dental therapy statewide. This year, that happened.
On December 1, the Pierce County Center for Dialog & Resolution submitted the Dental Therapy Task Force’s final report to the Washington State Legislature.
Task Force members included proponents, opponents, and those neutral on past legislation and had broad representation from communities without adequate access to dental care, dental and health care professional associations, oral health care providers, legislators, UW School of Dentistry, and the Dental Quality Assurance Commission.
Since July, Task Force members heard from practicing dental therapists, oral health experts, and dentists who supervise dental therapists. They spent hundreds of hours reviewing the research and engaging in hard and honest discussions centered on what is working in Tribal communities in Washington and across the country.
The final report shows that most members favor expanding dental therapy statewide through policies proposed in the report that are supported by evidence of safety, effectiveness, and ability to best serve communities in need of care. The report reflects a huge investment of time and resources from stakeholders that gives lawmakers evidence to counter misinformation that has stymied action on this issue for over ten years and a guide to be able to craft smart policy in the 2022 Legislative Session.
Policy recommendations from the Task Force include:
Targeting allowable practice settings to those areas most in need of oral health care in Washington state.
Requiring additional clinical hours (preceptorship) for graduates of education programs that have yet to receive accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Requiring collaborative agreement between supervising dentist and dental therapist be submitted yearly to Dept. of Health.
Aligning scope with the National Model Act for Licensing or Certification of Dental Therapists.
Creating a regulatory body specifically for dental therapists and dental hygienists.
State lawmakers need to hear from their constituents why their community cannot keep waiting for dental therapy. E-mail them now and make your voice heard!