Community health centers are an essential piece of the health care safety net, yet face growing challenges in providing dental care. As coverage losses push more people toward health centers, demand for sliding scale dental care is expected to climb — even as health center budgets grow more constrained.
Dental therapists can be one part of the answer. Licensed members of the dental team who provide routine preventive and restorative care under a dentist's supervision, dental therapists help health centers serve more patients, shorten wait times, and bring care into community settings, all while making tight budgets work. Fourteen states now authorize dental therapy and that number is growing, so whether or not your state is one of them, it's worth understanding the model.
This webinar is a primer for health center leadership, dental directors, dentists, dental hygienists, and clinical and administrative staff. Our panel features dental therapists practicing in community health centers, including a clinical leader who oversees oral health services at her health center. We'll cover what dental therapists are trained and licensed to do, how supervision works, how health centers have integrated them into care teams, pathways into the profession and the operational and financial impact of hiring.
Free continuing education credit is available to attendees thanks to the Arcora Foundation.
Arcora Foundation is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at ADA.org/CERP.
The panel features dental therapists practicing in health centers, including a clinical leader who oversees oral health services at her clinic, sharing how the role has changed their clinics.
As coverage losses push more people toward health centers, demand for sliding scale dental care is expected to climb — even as health center budgets become more constrained. Dental therapists are one way clinics are being efficient with limited resources. Fourteen states have authorized dental therapists and that number keeps growing so whether or not you support the campaign, it's worth understanding the model.
Free continuing education credit is available thanks to the Arcora Foundation.
Speakers:
- Janelle Jehn, CADT, Director of Oral Health, Southside Community Health Services
- Jamie Toney, LDT, Licensed Dental Therapist, The Wellness Plan Medical Center
- Kasey Wilson, Sr. Policy Analyst, Community Catalyst