LANSING, Mich. — Professionals with a lower level of training than a dentist will now be allowed to provide “mid-level” dental care in Michigan.
On Thursday, Governor Rick Snyder signed a Senate bill into law authorizing dental therapists to perform a variety of routine procedures that heretofore have been performed only by dentists.
Snyder’s Office says in a news release, “Dental therapists will be a unique tool to target the currently underserved populations in our state. Language in the new law will limit their practice to safety net settings such as federally-qualified health centers, rural health centers, school-based clinics or they could work in other offices in shortage areas or where they are willing to see a majority of publicly-insured patients.”
Seventy-eight of Michigan’s 83 counties have at least one dental shortage area. Proponents of the law says it’ll help fill the gap in service by having dental therapists help provide preventive and routine restorative care.
“Oral health is a window to overall health and well-being,” said Amy Zaagman, executive director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health. “Limited access to adequate dental health care comes with a hefty price tag—often in the form of missed days at school or work and larger dental problems that could have been avoided with routine care…”.
Sen. Mike Shirkey of Clarklake, Michigan says, “This bill will ensure an improvement in overall access to oral health care for underserved patients, while allowing dentists the chance to expand their practices. Too often, those with limited access to dental care resort to emergency rooms for relief and Michigan taxpayers have to foot the bill. Creating dental therapists is a solution from both a public health and fiscal perspective.”
