According to a report released by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in the USA, dental therapists can effectively expand access to dental care, especially for children, and the care that dental therapists provide is technically competent, safe and effective.

A review of the literature documenting care provided by dental therapists and clinical outcomes worldwide also showed that the public values the role of dental therapists and there is strong patient and parental support for their work.

The study reviewed more than 1,100 reports regarding dental therapists and their work in 54 countries ranging from the USA to the UK to Malaysia. Five of the top six countries on the Human Development Index employ dental therapists in their oral health workforce.

In the US, dental therapists practise in Alaska and Minnesota, but there is no movement in other states to use these providers to expand access to required dental care. The review of the literature comes at a time when the US is struggling to expand access to dental care, especially for children. Close to 50 million people in the US live in areas where they cannot gain easy access to a dentist and tooth decay is the number one chronic illness for American children.

The full report can be found at: www.wkkf.org/news/Articles/2012/04/Nash-report-is-evidence-that-dental-therapists-expand-access.aspx