A bill up for discussion in both the Kansas Senate and House could create a new mid-level dental care provider to combat a statewide shortage of dentists.
House Bill 2280 and Senate Bill 192 would put in place a foundation for registered dental practitioners to perform some basic dental services. The new care provider would function similarly to the role physician assistants provide in the medical field.
Shannon Costoradis, president and CEO of Kansas Action for Children, which is advocating for the legislation, said 91 Kansas counties have some form of a dental shortage with 14 counties having no dentists at all.
"Right now, it's an issue that primarily affects the uninsured," she said. "But in a few years, it will affect all of us, even those of us who have private dental insurance."
The move to enact a mid-level of dental care is being sponsored by the Kansas Dental Project, which consists of the Kansas Action for Children, the Primary Care Association of Kansas and the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition.
The proposed dental practitioners would provide services such as fillings, drilling, basic restorative care and extractions of baby teeth and already loose permanent teeth, leaving the most complex services to dentists and oral surgeons.
Kansas is among seven states considering a new classification of dental provider to fight the national shortage of dentists. Alaska already has a similar program, calling the providers dental health aide therapists.
As proposed, the practitioners would have to first complete an associate-level dental hygiene program at one of the state's five colleges offering that coursework. Kansas' model would require the practitioners to take on an additional 12 to 18 months of education from the dental hygiene institution before receiving a practitioner's license from the Kansas Dental Board.
To ensure that dental care is delivered to the areas with the greatest shortage, the dental practitioners would be required to practice in a designated shortage area, a safety net clinic or a correctional facility. They would be required to work 500 hours under the direct supervision of a dentist before working under general supervision.
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