Recommended standards for dental therapy education programs in the United States: a summary of critical issues

Dental therapy is an accepted component of the dental profession in the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and in the state of Minnesota. There are also several states working to enact legislation to permit the practice of dental therapy. However, in the absence of nationally recognized educational standards, concerns have been raised relating to the lack of uniformity in dental therapy education. In 2010, a panel of academicians met and prepared a report on the principles, competencies, and curriculum for educating dental therapists. Still, there remained questions in regard to what the minimal educational standards should be for institutions that wish to sponsor dental therapy programs. A second panel was convened to address education standards. This paper describes the Panel's deliberations on three critical issues in developing the report: the length of the program and degree to be awarded; credentials of the program director; and the nature of supervision.