Developing a Pediatric Oral Health Therapist to Help Address Oral Health Disparities Among Children

Nash, David A.

doi:10.1002/j.0022-0337.2004.68.1.tb03740.x

Cited by 39 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Procedures generally included in the scope of practice of dental therapists include the full repertoire of preventive therapies, the restoration of primary (deciduous) and young permanent teeth with appropriate biomaterials, performance of pulpotomies, placement of stainless steel crowns, and extraction of primary (deciduous) teeth. Traditionally, therapists have been trained in a two academic year program . Recently, in some jurisdictions of some countries, dental therapists are permitted to work in the offices of dentists in the private sector, or in their own offices, with consultant arrangements with dentists, and in some instances to provide basic care for adults .…”

Section: Profiles Of Potential Members Of An Oral Healthcare Teammentioning

confidence: 99%

Envisioning an oral healthcare workforce for the future

Nash

2012

Comm Dent Oral Epid

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Health is critical to human well-being. Oral health is an integral component of health. One is not healthy without oral health. As health is essential to human flourishing, it is important that an oral healthcare delivery system and workforce be developed and deployed which can help ensure all citizens have the potential to access oral health care. As such access does not generally exist today, it is imperative to advance the realization of this goal and to develop a vision of an oral healthcare workforce to functionally support access. Public funding of basic oral health care is an important element to improving access. However, funding is only economically feasible if a workforce exists that is structured in a manner such that duties are assigned to individuals who have been uniquely trained to fulfill specific clinical responsibilities. An essential element of any cost-effective organizational system must be the shared responsibility of duties. Delegation must occur in the oral health workforce if competent, cost-effective care is to be provided. Desirable members of the oral health team in an efficient and effective system are as follows: generalist dentists who are educated as physicians of the stomatognathic system (oral physicians), specialist dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, dually trained hygienists/therapists (oral health therapists), oral prosthetists (denturists), and expanded function dental assistants (dental nurses).

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Section: Profiles Of Potential Members Of An Oral Healthcare Teammentioning

confidence: 99%

Envisioning an oral healthcare workforce for the future

Nash

2012

Comm Dent Oral Epid

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“…The disparity in access to dental care (especially for children) and its impact on oral health is an immediate and an ongoing concern for policymakers. Recommendations to address this issue have primarily focused on new workforce models including developing a pediatric oral health therapist (29), adding dental therapists to healthcare teams (30), and educating primary care physicians and pediatricians in children's oral health. However, these models do not address the geographical disparity in access to care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oral Health Outreach Programs - Can they Address the Disparities in Access to Dental Care?

Razdan¹,

Degenholtz²,

Rubin³

2016

Journal of Oral Health and Community Dentistry

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Objective: This study examines the potential of an oral health outreach program (SCOPE) in addressing disparities in access to dental care. Material & Method: The extent to which underserved communities represent SCOPE's patient population and the type and quantity of care delivered were examined.Work records of fourth year dental students were analyzed to compute the proportion of under-18, elderly, African-Americans, Hispanics, those on public insurance, and uninsured individuals in the program'spatient population. Results: The insurance-mix of SCOPE'spatients was compared with the nationally representative sample of dental patients. Compared with the local communities and the nationally representative sample of dental patients; African-Americans, Hispanics, the uninsured, those on state insurance and children were over-represented in SCOPE's patient population. Conclusion: Oral health outreach programs run by academic dental institutions have the potential to address disparities in access to dental care. Rotating dental students through community-based clinics increases the availability of inexpensive dental professionals in the community.

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“…25 These school dental nurses were then assigned to school-based dental clinics, which subsequently came to exist in all of the elementary schools of New Zealand. 26,27 Today there are over 600 dental therapists (the name changed in the 1980s) caring for the country's 850,000 children. 28 97% of New Zealand's children are cared for by dental therapists who are assigned to every elementary and middle school in New Zealand.…”

Section: An International Approach For Improving Access To Care For Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adding Dental Therapists to the Health Care Team to Improve Access to Oral Health Care for Children

Nash¹

2009

Academic Pediatrics

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Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, and the subsequent National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, contributed significantly to raising awareness regarding the lack of access to oral health care by many Americans, especially minority and low-income populations, with resulting disparities in oral health. The problem is particularly acute among children. The current dental workforce in the United States is inadequate to meet the oral health care needs of children. It is inadequate in terms of numbers of dentists, as well as their geographic distribution, ethnicity, education, and practice orientation. Dental therapists, paraprofessionals trained in a 2 academic-year program of postsecondary education, have been employed internationally to improve access to oral health care for children. Research has documented that utilizing dental therapists is a cost-effective method of providing quality oral health care for children. Dental therapists have recently been introduced in Alaska by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Dental therapists could potentially care for children in dental offices, public health clinics, and school systems, as well as in the offices of pediatricians and family physicians. Adding dental therapists to the health care team would be a significant strategy for improving access to care for children and reducing oral health disparities.

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Developing a Pediatric Oral Health Therapist to Help Address Oral Health Disparities Among Children

Abstract: Oral Health in America:

Cited by 39 publications

References 23 publications

Envisioning an oral healthcare workforce for the future

Envisioning an oral healthcare workforce for the future

Oral Health Outreach Programs - Can they Address the Disparities in Access to Dental Care?

Adding Dental Therapists to the Health Care Team to Improve Access to Oral Health Care for Children

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