Submitted by achenault on Wed, 11/04/2015 – 4:13pm
What ONE profession could generate millions in economic impact in ONE Ohio county? Dental therapy!
The places dental therapists and advanced dental therapists are allowed to practice in the U.S., Alaska and Minnesota, have had success increasing access to dental care, improving oral health, and changing the lives of people who previously lived without routine access to quality dental care. While the dental therapists in Alaska were initially addressing generations of people who needed critical care – extractions and fillings – they now report that they are spending more time providing preventive services like education in Head Start programs about the importance of oral health care[1].
The improved quality of life for people without dental care is an important part of the success story of dental therapists. But the story does not end there. We are now also seeing that there are significant workforce and economic impacts being generated by the dental therapists.
In Alaska, for instance, the employment of nineteen dental therapists resulted in 76 jobs created.[2] The nineteen dental therapists had a $9.7 million economic impact on rural Alaska.
In addition to the job creation and economic impact, dental therapists, employed at half the cost of dentists, were able to increase the number of patients seen at a dental office and generate additional revenue. In a recent Marketplace story, a dentist practicing in Minnesota stated that since adding dental therapists to his practice, his revenue has doubled, he’s opened another office, he increased the number of Medicaid patients he sees by 40%, and is about to add another dentist to his practice.
If we looked at an Ohio county with Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSA’s) – say Montgomery County which has 2 – we find that if each Health Professional Shortage Area in Montgomery County had just one Dental Therapist to serve the community, the potential total economic impact would be:
In most cases the additional jobs are both those of the dental therapist and those created in the dental field to support the work and training of the dental therapist and the dentist led team.
This is a win-win-WIN for Ohioans, dentists, dental hygienists, community health centers, and the community at large. It’s time to bring dental therapists to Ohio.
[1] Jordan, D. (2015) “Dental Therapists: An Innovative Approach to Expanding Access.” Slides presented at the National Congress of American Indians Conference
[2] Scott, MK., (2012) Strategic Assessment and 5 year Business Plan for The DHAT Educational Program: Educating Dental Therapists to Provide Care for Alaska Natives.
