DENTAL NEWS: In an effort to expand dental care to the working poor, nursing home patients and other underserved populations,
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a new bill designed to create a new type of dental care provider; a mid-level dentist. These new dental professionals will be able to provide both preventative and restorative dental procedures but will not have the education a regular dentist and therefore won't be as expensive as the dentist.In addition to helping more people improve their overall
dental health, this bill also to save the state of Minnesota money by treating patients while their dental problems are more manageable. "...the lower income underprivileged people are ending up in our emergency rooms with much more costly care," said Minnesota State Senator Yvonne Prettner-Solon. DENTAL VIEWS: They should call this new oral healthcare profession "Dentist-Light".
DENTAL NEWS: Dental assistants are all smile these days as the US Labor Department is projecting their profession to grow by 29% between 2006 and 2016, making it just about the fastest-growing job over that period. This growth is due partly to a competitive wages paid to
dental assistants (ex. Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma assistants earned a median wage of $38,240 in 2007) combined with the need for this type of professional as the ADA reports that 87% of dentists offer reimbursement for continuing education courses taken by their assistants.DENTAL VIEWS: What's the difference between a dental hygienist and a dental assistant? Try saying "hygienist" with a mouthful of dental padding! Seriously, hygienists have to have a college degree, have higher pay and have much more responsibilities then a dental assistant does.
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