Dental Therapist Model:

Americans lack sufficient access to dental care. In 2000, a landmark report from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office made clear that “What amounts to ‘a silent epidemic’ of oral diseases is affecting our most vulnerable citizens — poor children, the elderly, and many members of racial and ethnic minority groups.”1 A follow-up report in 2021 noted that, despite an increase in oral health providers in the preceding 20 years, 60 million mostly rural Americans continued to live in areas “where there are too few oral health professionals to meet local needs.”2 One possible solution? Encouraging the spread of new workforce models, including dental therapy.

A dental therapist is a mid-level oral health professional who provides routine preventive and restorative care, similar to how a physician assistant works in medicine

. What Dental Therapists Do :

     Routine Care: Fill cavities, place temporary crowns, and perform simple extractions of primary (baby) teeth.

    Preventive Care: Clean teeth, apply sealants, and provide patient education on oral hygiene.

    Supervision: Work under the supervision or collaborative agreement of a licensed dentist, though the exact level of required oversight varies by state or region.

    Focus: Aim to expand access to dental care in underserved, rural, or low-income communities.    

       Our organization trains allied dental professionals -dental technicians, dental assistants, and hygienists to deliver oral health awareness campaigns. We travel to non-profit organizations, schools, town halls to educate them of the importance of utilizing preventive services to maintain better oral health. Our organization plans to deliver our awareness campaigns for more than one millions of community members.