Washington State Resources
National and Other Resources
Webinar – Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Rural, Tribal and Underserved Communities, hosted by HRSA IEA Region 10.
Susan Skillman (Facilitator)
January 12, 2023
VIew Slides View Webinar
State Variation in Practice Authorization for Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists
The Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) , based at the University at Albany, State University of New York, has done extensive work describing the oral health workforce nationally and regionally. Use the links below to see infographics prepared the OHWRC to summarize practice authorization by state for dental hygienists and dental therapists.
Variation in Dental Hygiene Scope of Practice by State
Authorization Status of Dental Therapists By State
Application of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) by Dental Hygienists
Regulation Comparison
Oral Health in America Advances and Challenges
National Institutes of Health. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2021*
*Susan Skillman, UW CHWS Sr. Deputy Director and WOHW Program Director among scientific reviewers
, , , , and , “The Dental Public Health Workforce: Employer Expectations and Future Directions.” Journal of Dental Education 89, no. 9 (2025): 1345–1353. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13850
Mertz E, Kottek A, Werts M, Langelier M, Surdu S, Moore J. Dental Therapists in the United States: Health Equity, Advancing. Med Care. October 2021;59:441-48. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001608.
Dental therapists (DTs) are primary care dental providers, used globally, and were introduced in the United States (US) in 2005. DTs have now been adopted in 13 states and several Tribal nations. The objective of this study is to qualitatively examine the drivers and outcomes of the US dental therapy movement through a health equity lens, including community engagement, implementation and dissemination, and access to oral health care.
Nasseh K, Fosse C, Vujicic M. Dentists Who Participate in Medicaid: Who They Are, Where They Locate, How They Practice. Medical Care Research and Review. 2022;0(0). doi:10.1177/10775587221108751
Low utilization of dental services among low-income individuals and racial minorities reflects pervasive inequities in U.S. health care. There is limited research determining common characteristics among dentists who participate in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Using detailed Medicaid claims data and a provider database, we estimate that among dentists with 100 or more pediatric Medicaid patients, 48% practice in high-poverty areas, 10% practice in rural areas, and 29% work in large practices (11 or more dentists). Among those with zero Medicaid patients, 18% practice in high-poverty areas, 4% practice in rural areas, and 11% work in large practices. We found that dentist race/ethnicity has an independent effect on Medicaid participation even when adjusting for community characteristics, meaning non-White dentists are more likely to treat Medicaid patients, regardless of the median income or racial/ethnic profile of the community.
Nozomi Sasaki, Jinman Pang, Simona Surdu, Rachel W Morrissey, Marko Vujicic, Jean Moore, Workplace factors associated with job satisfaction among dental hygienists and assistants in the United States, Health Affairs Scholar, Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2025, qxae147
Previous research has assessed job satisfaction and related workplace factors among healthcare workers. However, studies on dental care professionals are limited. This study aimed to evaluate job satisfaction among US dental hygienists (DHs) and assistants (DAs) and identify workplace factors contributing to their job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.