Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota) Signs Dental Therapist Bill

Minnesota has created the new position of dental therapist, a licensed provider with a bachelor's degree in dental therapy who will work with Minnesota licensed dentists to provide care for underserved patients in the State. They will provide preventative dental services, restorations of primary and permanent teeth, extractions of primary teeth and other selected dental treatments.

Minnesota Dental Association President Lee Jess stated, "Regardless of the procedure or setting, it will be the dentist who completes the examination, makes the diagnosis, and formulates the treatment plan. For restora-tive and surgical procedures, the dentist must be on-site to provide intraoperative diagnosis and to assist when treatment complications arise. We are confident that this well-defined scope of practice, level of supervision, and patient population, will permit dental therapists to help contribute to aggressing the access to dental care challenge faced by many in Minnesota."

This bill also creates an "advanced dental therapist" who must have a bachelor's degree in dental therapy, practice for 2,000 hours as a dental therapist, graduate from an advanced dental therapy master's level pro-gram, and pass a board-approved competency examination. They will be able to practice of-site without li-censed dentist supervision, but will need a licensed dentist's approval to do restorative and surgical proce-dures. They will also be able to do non-surgical extraction of advanced periodontally involved permanent teeth.

The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry's Dean Patrick Lloyd announced that they will start a dental therapy education program. Their program will commence in September 2009.The initial bachelor's program will be of 40 months duration, while the master's level program will be 28 months. Ten applicants will be ac-cepted to begin the program provided that the funding necessary will be obtained by the State/Governor. This new concept will now fall on the State Dental Board to develop standards for approving educational Pro-grams, licensing, and rules and regulations.

The ADA provided legislative consulting research and communications assistance to the Minnesota Dental Association through the State Public Affairs Program.

[Adapted from ADA News, Volume 40, No.1, June 1, 2009, pp. 1-5]