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History Part 4 – Cont.
US Bills to License Dental Therapists
MINNESOTA
• Statute says Dental Therapists are required to practice in settings that
primarily serve low-income, uninsured, and underserved patients, or in
areas designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage areas (DHPSA).
• But DTs can work where they choose.
• A loophole in MN statutes is that DTs employed in DHPSA areas do
not have to help the disadvantaged.
• As they graduated more DTs, a pattern emerged in MN: The majority
are employed in the private sector and located in metro areas. The
maldistribution of DTs parallels maldistribution of dentists.
