WASHINGTON -- With questions swirling around the economic impact of tariffs, the creation of oral preventive assistants, and the discussed removal of fluoride from the water supply, members of the Dental Trade Alliance (DTA) are heading to the nation's capital to gain clarity and answers.
The annual DTA Washington Policy Summit takes place this week, and this year's meeting could prove to be one of the most insightful with so many potential issues impacting the dental industry.
While the ADA has urged President Donald Trump and legislators to exempt medical and dental supplies, equipment, and devices from tariffs "due to concerns about rising costs and supply chain disruptions," there is no sign that those pleas have been heard.
Everything from dental laboratory supplies to personal protective equipment could see higher costs, setting the stage for one of the bigger discussion topics during the event as the dental industry struggles with price hikes.
Additionally, with Florida set to become the second state (along with Utah) to ban fluoride in drinking water, the topic of fluoridation and dentistry will be front of mind as well.
Members of the DTA are scheduled to meet with their local senators and congressional representatives on Thursday, May 8, capping off what is expected to be a very eventful few days.
I will be representing DrBicuspid.com at the meeting and reporting on what I'm hearing from members of the DTA and those on Capitol Hill, as well as what lobbyists are hoping to accomplish to help the dental industry during these shifting times. Look for my reports throughout the week on our site.
Finally, while not at a national level (yet) like some of the other topics discussed above, the potential impact of oral preventive assistants (OPAs) is likely to be brought up as well.
Ahead of the DTA meeting, a dental hygienist recently shared her thoughts and concerns on how OPAs could change dentistry. She also questioned whether OPAs would truly make a dent in the current issues around staffing shortages.
Here's how her opinion-based article begins ...
Dear dentists,
I recently saw that you have addressed the dental hygiene workforce shortage by allowing oral preventative dental assistants in select states to undergo 120 hours of training, enabling them to perform scaling on healthy patients in the dental operatory.
As a registered dental hygienist, I’m deeply concerned with your solution. I do not understand how you think it will solve the workforce shortage. I think you are disregarding and refusing to address a more significant problem.
Want to see how the letter ends? You can read her entire opinion-based article by clicking here.
We will have an article discussing the opposing view on OPAs later in the week as well.
