In 2021, the Oregon state legislature created licensure for dental therapists to treat patients with limited ability to access dental care in traditional private practices. Three years later, only 13 dental therapists have been licensed and…

Individuals with autism often face barriers to accessing dental care; a significant challenge is a lack of education for oral health professionals on how best to provide care to this population. With the goal of improving the oral health of…

With nearly 6 million Floridian living in dental health professional shortage areas, new legislation is aiming to ease this crisis in accessing dental care. The bill would authorize specific healthcare settings, such as federally qualified…

More than 1.5 million Wisconsin residents live in healthcare provider shortage areas, leaving many without access to dental care. One volunteer dental practice, Tri-County Dental, has been working to alleviate the access-to-care problem for…

A new bill has been introduced to the Oregon state legislature that would prohibit insurers from paying dentists by credit card without their consent. The legislation would also prevent insurers from expanding dentist members’ participation…

Winnie Furnari, MS, RDH, FAADH, FAAFS, FADE, is the 2022 recipient of Dimensions of Dental Hygiene’s Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award passed away on April 20. Furnari was highly regarded for her efforts to expand the career…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a call to action to the European region whose oral disease rates are through the roof. A recently published report notes that 50.1% of all European residents have a significant oral disease…

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services wanted to increase utilization of the state’s Healthy Kids Dental (HKD) program, which covers dental care for Medicaid enrollees under 21. The department partnered with Delta Dental of…

Researchers at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom have developed an oral cancer test called “point-of-care analysis for noninvasive diagnosis of oral cancer,” or PANDORA, that offers 92% efficacy in identifying oral squamous…

The federal public health emergency issued in response to the global pandemic expired on April 1. During the pandemic, states were barred from eliminating individuals from Medicaid coverage, but now they can review participants’ eligibility…