The dental group said May 26 that expanding the ratios would increase the number of graduates entering the workforce each year, including dental assistants and hygienists. It would also have a more immediate impact on the industry compared to starting a new training program.
The dental agency requested that CODA immediately match the faculty-to-student ratio in the dental hygiene accreditation standards to the dental therapy accreditation and dental assisting accreditation standards. This would create a faculty-to-student ratio of 1 to 6 for all three auxiliary professions.
CODA also created an ad hoc group at the request of the dental society. The ad hoc group is tasked with drafting a rationale for setting faculty-to-student ratios for all CODA accreditation standards. The accreditation commission requested that each state provide data on the intersection between workforce shortages and the accreditation standards.
