1st class of midlevel providers nears graduation

Jan 25, 2011

The first class of midlevel provider students is making its way through the new Master of Science in Oral Health Care Practitioner program at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, the school announced.

The program is the first of its kind in the U.S. to train midlevel dental providers who will be able to remove decay and restore teeth for children and adults, as well as extract primary teeth, while under the supervision of a licensed dentist.

The inaugural class of seven students is scheduled to graduate in the summer of 2011. Registered dental hygienists with 1,000 clinical hours of experience beyond their bachelor's degree may apply to the master's level program at the university. The program consists of 44 credits and takes approximately two and a half years to complete.

Graduates will be eligible to be licensed as dental therapists and certified as advanced dental therapists. The goal for these dental practitioners is to make it easier and more affordable for underserved populations, including children, the elderly, and working poor, to obtain high-quality oral healthcare, according to the university.

In 2009, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law the Dental Therapist Legislation, providing two levels of providers. A dental therapist requires a bachelor's degree, and an advanced dental therapist requires a master's degree. Many advanced dental therapists may work in community settings under general supervision of a licensed dentist.

Metropolitan State University is partnering with Normandale Community College to offer the Master of Science in Oral Health Care Practitioner program, which includes a teaching clinic to prepare students to treat underserved populations and also to sponsor a community clinic for underserved populations. In addition, the clinic is the setting where students begin to meet their licensure requirement of 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice.