For Policymakers & Advocates

To successfully increase access to oral health care utilizing dental therapists, legislators should take a coordinated approach that pairs authorizing dental therapy practice with funding education and implementation. Passing a bill alone is not enough. States see the strongest results when they build a full pipeline from law to training to workforce deployment.

Legislation should not stop at authorizing practice. States need an in-state training pathway so students can enter the profession and employers can hire locally trained providers. New education programs need upfront investment. Without startup funding, authorization may exist on paper but not translate into an actual education program or workforce pipeline. To sustain the program and ensure a stable workforce supply, the state should provide an ongoing annual appropriation rather than one-time funding only. This will allow community colleges and other universities located closer to target rural and underserved and underrepresented populations to offer Dental Therapy training and education.