Open AccessA Dental Student’s Perspective of Mid-level Providers in the Oral Healthcare Team
Author(s) -
Paris Webb,
Reginald W. Taylor,
Jayne S. Reuben
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
medical science educator
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 13
ISSN - 2156-8650
DOI - 10.1007/s40670-021-01203-3
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , oral health , curriculum , health care , medicine , dental care , oral health care , medical education , interprofessional education , family medicine , psychology , nursing , political science , pedagogy , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
The idea of mid-level providers in dentistry grew from the increasing lack of access to oral care in rural and other underserved communities. To meet this need, dental therapists emerged. However, from an educational standpoint, the topic is hardly mentioned or discussed. This commentary discusses the role that dental therapists play in addressing oral health disparities and the reason more information about them should be included in dental and medical curricula. As the field of dentistry evolves and the lack of access to oral care persists, educating dental students and students in other healthcare professions about dental therapists should be an equally important task.