[NPInfo] Interesting new "Mid-level"

[David Mittman]

Seems like everyone but us want to be one!!!!
Already coming in with collaborative practice and advanced  
practitioner in name
Cool. Wonder how hard dentists will lobby against?

Thursday, Feb. 21 2008
MNDHA Supports Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner Bill in  
Legislature of the State of Minnesota



CHICAGO, Feb 21, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The  
Minnesota Dental Hygienists' Association (MNDHA) applauds the  
Legislature of the State of Minnesota for the introduction of H.F.  
No. 3247, and companion S.F. 2895, bills calling for the creation of  
an Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP) in the state of  
Minnesota. The legislation and upcoming hearing -- scheduled for  
Monday, February 25th -- are a direct response to recent events and  
research which highlight the difficulties Minnesotans and Americans  
face in accessing oral health care services -- particularly children,  
the elderly, and minority populations.

In 2000 the Surgeon General issued the landmark report Oral Health in  
America which identified the "silent epidemic" of oral disease and  
called on oral health stakeholders to find solutions to improve the  
nation's health. There are a number of disturbing statistics which  
highlight the access to care crisis identified by the Surgeon  
General. Tooth decay, while preventable, remains the nation's most  
common chronic disease of childhood. More than 100 million Americans  
lack dental insurance. Last February, 12 year old Deamonte Driver of  
Maryland died after an untreated abscessed tooth lead to a bacterial  
infection which spread to his brain.

The Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner model was developed in  
response to the Surgeon General's call to action to increase access  
through increasing workforce flexibility and productivity. The new  
provider will work in collaboration with existing members of the oral  
health care team to provide services to patients unable to access a  
traditional dental office. ADHPs can bring a range of oral health  
services directly to patients in settings they have ready access to.  
ADHPs will perform the traditional range of preventive services  
currently administered by dental hygienists as well as therapeutic,  
palliative, prescriptive, diagnostic, and minimally invasive  
restorative services.

The dental hygiene profession has been identified by the U.S. Bureau  
of Labor Statistics (BLS) as one of the fastest growing professions  
in the country. The population of dental hygienists is projected to  
increase by 30 percent from 2006 to 2016. In contrast, BLS research  
notes that the population of dentists is not expected to keep pace  
with the growing demand for services over the next ten years. As the  
link between oral health and total health continues to emerge and our  
population ages, the focus on the importance of access to oral health  
care services will increase and the need for services provided by  
dental hygienists will continue to grow.

Dental hygienists are licensed health care professionals educated and  
trained to prevent and treat oral disease while in its early stages.  
In order to practice as a dental hygienist, an individual must  
graduate from an accredited dental hygiene education program housed  
in a college or university, and pass a regional clinical or state  
examination, as well as a national written exam. In order to practice  
as an ADHP, an individual will be a licensed dental hygienist who  
completes an additional Master's degree program and successfully  
passes a comprehensive clinical examination developed in consultation  
with the Board of Dentistry.

"The ADHP will serve as a mid-level provider in oral health akin to  
the nurse practitioner in medicine," says Mary Beth Kensek, RDH, RF,  
BS, MNDHA President. "ADHPs will provide direct access points to  
patients in currently under-utilized settings such as schools,  
nursing homes, hospitals, and public health clinics. The concept of  
the ADHP is certainly not to supplant the role of dentists, but to  
enhance the function of the oral health care team by providing oral  
health care services that so many are unable to obtain in a  
traditional dental office."

"The creation of the ADHP will build upon the established  
collaborative practice agreement model in place here in Minnesota, in  
which hygienists may enter into an agreement with dentists to provide  
specific services in unsupervised settings," Kensek continued. "ADHPs  
will use an established referral mechanism to facilitate care for  
patients in need of additional treatment outside their scope of  
practice. They will maintain regular contact for consultation with  
other members of the oral health care team."

The concept of a mid-level provider in oral health is not a new one.  
More than 40 countries currently have established mid-level providers  
in oral health, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and  
New Zealand. In the United States, mid-level providers in medicine,  
such as nurse practitioners and physician's assistants, helped  
streamline the delivery of medical services.

MNDHA believes the ADHP represents a timely, effective mechanism to  
help increase access to oral health care services for those who are  
currently disenfranchised from the oral health care system. As a  
Master's level educated, licensed professional able to provide care  
directly to patients in a variety of public health settings. ADHPs  
would serve as a new entry point into the oral health care system  
which would refer patients in need of additional care to dentists or  
other health care providers.

The MNDHA's mission is to advance the art and science of dental  
hygiene by increasing the awareness of and ensuring access to quality  
oral health care, promoting the highest standard of dental hygiene  
education, licensure and practice, and representing and promoting the  
interests of dental hygiene. For more information about MNDHA, visit  
MNDHA at http://mndha.com.

SOURCE American Dental Hygienists' Association

http://mndha.com