A little role reversal, please.

Imagine for a moment, in the relationship between you and your dentist, that you are the dentist. Imagine as a small business owner (your dentist), you hear this:

• The number of dental therapists practicing in the U.S. are growing and are primarily serving low income, uninsured, and underserved patients;
• Clinics are able to see more patients, most of whom are on Medicaid or from underserved communities, and
• Decrease wait and travel time for some patients, which increases access;
• Dental therapists are practicing safely, and clinics are reporting improved quality and high patient satisfaction with their services;
• Benefits of dental therapists include direct cost savings, increased dental team productivity, improved patient satisfaction, and lower appointment fail rates;
• Savings from the lower cost of dental therapists allow clinics to expand their capacity to see public program and underserved patients;
• Most clinics that employ dental therapists for at least a year are considering hiring additional dental therapists; and
• Dental therapists also offer the potential to reduce unnecessary ER visits for non-injury dental conditions.

These findings are exactly what legislators in Minnesota heard from the Minnesota Department of Health and the state’s Dental Board after an evaluation of dental therapists operating there as members of the dentist-led team.

Now imagine that as you are considering these findings, you also hear that:

• A soon-to-be-introduced Ohio bill will allow for the education and licensing of dental therapists in Ohio and  these mid-level providers will only practice under the supervision of dentists.
• A dentist can choose whether to select and hire a dental therapist to his or her practice team.
• A dentist will supervise the dental therapist in a manner he or she deems appropriate.
• A dentist will choose which procedures the trained and licensed dental therapist will provide in his or her practice.

Wouldn’t you think: “It is time to give me and other Ohio dentists the choice to be able to provide more quality, affordable, accessible dental care to Ohioans that need it!” We at Dental Access Now!, including several dentists from across the state, think so. Sign up for our Day at the Statehouse on February 24^th to tell your legislator why dentists should have a choice to hire a dental therapist to improve dental access in Ohio.