Date: 04/30/2024

Author(s): Elizabeth Mertz, Jean Moore, Simona Surdu, and Theekshana Fernando

 

Dental therapists (DTs) are primary dental care practitioners that have been deployed in many countries around the world. There is increasingly strong evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of DTs, including their ability to promote community-based services and enhance oral health equity. Following the approval of education standards by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in 2015, dental therapy gained increasing acceptance in the United States with states and tribal nations authorizing dental therapy. Dental therapy is rapidly becoming an established, growing profession in the US, although there is variation in legal authority across states and jurisdictions. This interactive infographic, an update from the original created in 2020, illustrates the most recent status of dental therapy in the US based on changes in state laws and regulations that define dental therapy practice.