First Dental Therapist in Oregon Begins Practicing

Rosalie Goode, RDH, recently began practicing as a dental therapist at Willamette Dental Group in Southern Oregon. She provides restorative care, extracts teeth, and prescribes medications under the supervision of a dentist. Goode is a graduate of a pilot program at the Pacific University School of Dental Hygiene in Forest Grove, Oregon, to create a new midlevel practitioner in the state. The goal of the program and the new dental therapists is to improve access to professional oral healthcare for the state’s underserved populations. The university hopes to introduce an accredited dental therapy program in the near future. For now, Goode is the first of 11 dental therapists who completed the pilot program; the other 10 are awaiting licensure from the Oregon Board of Dentistry. Click here to read more.