Dental News - AGD opposes implementation of dental therapy accreditation standards

Dental Tribune USA

Tue. 1 September 2015

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CHICAGO, Ill., USA: The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is denouncing the establishment of a dental therapy accreditation process that was recently authorized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The process will enable educational programs to apply for and obtain accreditation if they comply with CODA’s Accreditation Standards for Dental Therapy Education Programs.

“Over the past three years, we have made it clear through testimony and written comments to CODA that the AGD has opposed the standards and their implementation,” said AGD President W. Mark Donald, DMD, MAGD. “The standards require a curriculum of only three years post-high school, and then these nondentists are able to perform surgical and irreversible procedures without requiring the direct or indirect supervision of a dentist.”

By authorizing establishment of an accreditation process, CODA has found that criteria Nos. 2 and 5 of its Principles and Criteria Eligibility of Allied Dental Programs for Accreditation by CODA have been met. Criterion No. 2 required the allied dental education area to have been in operation for a sufficient period of time to have established benchmarks and adequately measured performance. Criterion No. 5 required evidence of need and support from public and professional communities to sustain educational programs in the discipline.

“Clearly, the required criteria have not been met,” Donald said. “Dental therapy educational programs are operational in only two states, and diagnoses and surgical procedures by  nondentists are illegal in 48 states. There is an obvious lack of widespread support from public or professional communities for dental therapy programs.”

Furthermore, the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute has found that the dentist-to-population ratio has increased and will continue to increase through 2033.

“Dentists are not in short supply,” Donald said. “Dentists have the education and training to safely provide diagnoses and treatment, and it is important that we implement solutions to connect the patient and the dentist, rather than providing a lesser alternative.”

(Source: Academy of General Dentistry)

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