How acceptable are dental therapists to potential patients?

In a landmark report, the Surgeon General, in 2000, decried a “silent epidemic” of oral disease affecting our most vulnerable citizens, and described a public health care delivery system ill-equipped to expand access to those in need.  Despite widespread concern, nearly fifteen years later access remains a challenge, with seniors, Medicaid recipients, and the uninsured particularly affected. 

Though the issue is complex, it's generally agreed that an important part of the solution is expanding the dental workforce.  Mid-level dental providers, or dental therapists, are well-accepted members of the team in many countries.  In the US, however, they practice in just two states – though enabling legislation has been proposed in several others.  Everywhere they practice, a main argument for their introduction has been improving access to care.

The extent to which the introduction of dental therapists will improve access is limited, however, by the willingness of potential patients to see them.  Some have argued that vulnerable populations will view these practitioners as providing “second-tier” care.

To investigate the acceptability of a new mid-level dental provider to potential patients, a survey was developed and administered to over 600 patients and their companions at an urban dental school clinic in the summer of 2013.  Preliminary findings suggest that the overwhelming majority of respondents approve of the idea, and most would be willing for both their children and themselves to be treated by one.  Among those who expressed doubts, potential mitigating factors such as lower cost or quicker appointments, led many to reconsider.