Expanding the Oral Healthcare Workforce
By Sonika Masih, BDS, MS, RDH Oral diseases are highly prevalent—even though they are largely preventable—and are indicative of the social and economic inequalities present…
Category: Access to Care
Guest Editorial: Promoting Dental Therapy
By Kari Ann Kuntzelman, DT Founded in 2006, the American Dental Therapy Association (ADTA) is the national professional society for dental therapists. As a trusted national…
Implementing Public Health Interventions to Reduce Caries Prevalence
The Basic Screening Survey is an essential public health tool in reducing rates of dental decay among vulnerable populations.
Oral Health Disparities Experienced by Recent Refugees
A variety of factors influence the ability of this vulnerable patient population to access professional Dental care.
Interest in Teledentistry Continues to Grow
The COVID-19 pandemic thrust teledentistry into the spotlight, illuminating its many advantages in increasing access to car.
Minnesota Leads the Way on Dental Therapy
By Brigette R. Cooper, RDH, MS In 2009, Minnesota became the first state to authorize the licensing of dental therapists. Minnesota’s law created two levels…
The Case for a Doctoral Degree
By Robin Gatlin, RDH, MS As the profession of dental hygiene continues to evolve, doctoral degrees will become necessary to meet the current demands for…
Supporting Oral-Systemic Health
By Sean G. Boynes, DMD, MS; David M. Krol, MD, MPH, FAAP; and Mark Deutchman, MD The upper gastrointestinal system contains one of the most…
A Dental Health Aide Therapist’s Perspective
By Kari Kuntzelman, DHAT Dental therapy is a midlevel oral health practitioner profession. Dental therapists have been successfully working in 54 countries since 1921 when…