Dental therapy practice patterns in Minnesota: a baseline study

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• A significant shortage of dentists and limited access to oral healthcare prompted the introduction of dental therapists in Minnesota.
• Dental therapy graduates have been practicing since 2012, but their integration into dental practices has not been formally studied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish baseline knowledge of dental therapists' practice patterns in Minnesota.
• To determine if dentists' work patterns changed following the employment of a dental therapist.

Main Methods:

• Four diverse dental practices in Minnesota were purposefully selected for the study.
• Practice management software data from January-March 2015 were analyzed to describe dental therapist activities, patient demographics, and payer mix.
• Data from six months before and after dental therapist employment were collected to assess changes in dentists' practice patterns.

Main Results:

• Dental therapists worked full-time, averaging 6.8 patients daily, with restorative services constituting 68% of their work.
• They treated a high proportion of uninsured or publicly assisted patients (up to 90%).
• Dentists delegated a comprehensive range of procedures, and in two practices, dentists began performing more complex procedures.

Conclusions:

• Dental therapists are enhancing access to dental care in both rural and urban Minnesota by serving a large number of uninsured and underinsured individuals.
• Dentists appear to have sufficient workloads and are effectively delegating tasks within the scope of dental therapy.
• A notable finding was that dentists performed fewer restorative and preventive procedures after hiring a dental therapist.