Over the recent long holiday weekend, I read a Washington Post article that was an interesting example of how perspectives vary wildly from inside and outside the dental beltway.
I’ll just spice up the invitation for you to click on the link and read the article, with this quote:
“Among the general public, dentists tend to have a Norman Rockwell appeal — solo practitioners who clean your teeth, tell your kids to cut down on the candy, and put their seal of approval on a range of minty toothpastes and mouthwashes. But lawmakers from Maine to Alaska see a different side of dentists and their lobby, the American Dental Association, describing a political force so unified, so relentless and so thoroughly woven into American communities that its clout rivals that of the gun lobby.”
The article covers the long-standing debate about how to improve access to dental care for rural, poor, and other underserved populations. Specifically, the reporter takes an anecdotal look at the situation in Maine, and the ADA’s efforts to block the licensing of dental therapists. While the opponents to the dental therapist concept cite fears about safety and quality of care, cynics think the issue is strictly about money and competition.
In an editorial in Dental Product Shopper last year, Dr. Karl Self, Director of the Division of Dental Therapy at University of Minnesota’s School of Dentistry, made the strong case that dentists have nothing to be worried about. In fact, based on Minnesota's experience, they should be welcoming and working with dental therapists, whose presence has actually been shown to boost practice bottom lines AND increase access to care.
The debate will probably be around for a while, but with consumer media sources like WaPo chiming in, and Dr. Self’s stats about positive financial impacts, tides may shift sooner than later. Thoughts?