What Michigan Dentists Should Know About Dental Therapists
Licensed oral health professionals who provide commonly needed oral health care like exams, cleanings, and fillings.
Improve the efficiency of dental teams by freeing up dentists to focus on more complex work, allowing more patients to receive care, and helping the clinic’s bottom line.
Trained in programs either accredited by state boards of dentistry or the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Practice under the supervision of a dentist — complementing the work of hygienists and dental assistants.
Work in community settings like schools, long-term care facilities, and mobile dental clinics, bringing care directly to patients who struggle to get into dental offices.
Authorized to practice in Michigan in 2018 but they’ve been working internationally for over 100 years and in the U.S. for almost 20 years.
Dental therapists have spread across the country and are now authorized to practice in at least some settings in 14 states.
What are dental therapists?
What education do dental therapists receive?
Dental therapists attend education programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), the same entity that accredits dental schools.
Currently, there are three CODA-accredited dental therapy programs in the U.S. (in Alaska, Minnesota, and Washington), another program under development at a university in Michigan, and an additional program in Minnesota that’s been accredited by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry but that has not yet received CODA accreditation. Michigan also allows the Board of Dentistry to approve education programs that have not yet received CODA accreditation but that it determines to meet CODA standards.
FAQs
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Dental therapists must work under the supervision of a dentist with whom they have a written practice agreement. Written practice agreements include standing orders and protocols that dental therapists must follow and can include restrictions on scope, settings, patient selection, or supervision if the supervising dentist requires it.
You can find out more information and see a sample written practice agreement in our dental therapy employer manual. Dental therapists may supervise up to three dental assistants and two dental hygienists if permitted by the practice agreement.
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Michigan requires dental therapists to work in a public health setting such as an FQHC, a tribal clinic, a dental health professional shortage area or in any setting where at least 50% of their patients are covered by Medicaid, are low-income and uninsured, or have a disability or chronic condition that creates a significant barrier to receiving dental care.
See the full list of permitted settings. Dental therapists can also bring care directly to patients, either with a mobile clinic or with portable equipment, and provide care in community settings like schools, Head Start centers, group homes, and long-term care facilities.
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Clinics and practices that have hired dental therapists report that they are cost-effective to employ and increase productivity for the entire dental team.
Employers also report that patients have shorter wait times for appointments and more patients complete treatment plans.
To learn more about the experiences of clinics and practices that have hired dental therapists, check out these reports and case studies:
The Contributions of Dental Therapists and Advanced Dental Therapists in the Dental Centers of Apple Tree Dental in Minnesota: This 2020 economic analysis by the Center for Health Workforce Studies of a large nonprofit dental clinic found that the addition of dental therapists resulted in higher productivity and improved cost-effectiveness for the entire dental team.
An Advanced Dental Therapist in Rural Minnesota: Jodi Hager’s Case Study: This 2018 case study examines the practice of a dental therapist at a large safety-net clinic in Minnesota.
An Advanced Dental Therapist in Long-Term Care: Heather Luebben’s Case Study: This 2017 case study examines the practice of a dental therapist employed by a nonprofit organization working in a long-term care facility for veterans.
Midwest Dental: Dental Therapist Case Study: A case study from 2017, this report looks at a dental therapist working at a rural private practice in Minnesota.
Grand Marais Family Dentistry: Dental Therapist Case Study: This 2017 case study looks at a private practice employing a dental therapist in northern Minnesota.
Expanding the Dental Team: Increasing Access to Care in Public Settings: These 2014 case studies examine dental therapists working in the tribal health system in Alaska and a community health center in Minnesota.
Expanding the Dental Team: Studies of Two Private Practices: This 2014 case study examines the practice of Dr. John Powers in Montevideo, MN, the first private practice dentist in the U.S. to employ a dental therapist.
Dentists, co-workers, and patients have all reported high rates of satisfaction and increased productivity in their experiences with dental therapists — check out qualitative studies here and here! There is a high demand to hire dental therapists in states where they’ve been long-established, and many clinics have hired multiple dental therapists. A number of dentists have shared their experiences with dental therapists:
What has been the experience of dentists who’ve worked with dental therapists?
What procedures are dental therapists allowed to do?
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Performing an oral evaluation and assessment of dental disease and developing an individualized treatment plan as authorized by the practice agreement
Identifying conditions that require evaluation or treatment by dentists, physicians, or other health care professionals and managing referrals
Comprehensive charting of the oral cavity
Administering and exposing radiographic images
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Providing oral health instruction
Dental prophylaxis including subgingival scaling or polishing procedures
Applying topical preventive such as fluorides, antimicrobial agents, and sealants
Fabricating athletic mouthguards
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Dispensing and administering nonnarcotic analgesics and anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medications
Applying desensitizing medication or resin
Administering local anesthetic and nitrous oxide
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Pulp vitality testing
Emergency palliative treatment of dental pain related to a care or service described in this subsection
Changing periodontal dressings
Preparation and placement of direct restoration in primary and permanent teeth
Fabrication and placement of single-tooth temporary crowns
Preparation and placement of preformed crowns on primary teeth
Indirect and direct pulp capping on permanent teeth
Suturing and suture removal
Placement and removal of space maintainers
Simple extraction of erupted primary teeth
Nonsurgical extractions of periodontally diseased permanent teeth with tooth mobility +3
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Minor adjustments and repairs on removable prostheses
Performing other related services and functions authorized by the supervising dentist and for which the dental therapist is trained
Performing any other duties of a dental therapist that are authorized by the board by rule
Where can I find other resources?
The Michigan Primary Care Association is leading efforts to implement dental therapy in the state.
For more information about dental therapy in Michigan, see our pages for Educators and Current and Aspiring Dental Therapists, or get in touch with us at the form below!
Dental Therapy Employment Manual for Michigan Community Health Centers
Find downloadable infographics on the Resources page of our website!
Other helpful resources
To learn more about integrating dental therapists into the dental team, consider this free Continuing Education course
The National Association of Community Health Centers has published a Dental Therapy Resource Guide aimed at the health center community
While tailored to Minnesota’s practice act (which differs in some requirements from Michigan’s), this toolkit for potential dental therapy employers from the Minnesota Department of Health can be a useful resource to clinics and practices considering adding dental therapists to their team
To learn more about the education dental therapists receive, check out the Commission on Dental Accreditation’s accreditation standards for dental therapy education programs
The University of Minnesota has created an open access Dental Therapy Curriculum for use by educators across the country
The National Partnership for Dental Therapy provides information about dental therapy across the country