The Maine Board of Dental Practice finalized the regulations in April, creating specific qualifications for dental therapy licensure. Dental therapists are licensed to perform preventive and basic restorative procedures, such as filling cavities and placing temporary crowns.
The addition of these providers is aimed at reducing barriers to oral health services, such as remote locations and dentist shortages. In Maine, nearly 330,000 people, or a quarter of the state’s population, live in areas federally designated as having a shortage of dentists, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.
The new regulations also allow those educated in other states to practice in Maine.
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