Dentists and oral health organizations are joining larger discussions touching on several issues in the industry, including dental education, workforce shortages, economic policies and more.
Here are five controversies affecting the dental industry that Becker’s has covered this year:
1. Some dentists in Savannah, Ga., have voiced their concerns about a new dental school coming to the state. Last year, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp allocated $178 million of the state’s budget for a new dental school at the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus in Savannah. However, a group of dentists said in a letter to state Rep. Ron Stephens that those funds could have been used to address current challenges in the dental industry, such as workforce shortages and student debt, instead of building a new school.
2. The Florida Dental Association is opposing legislation that would establish dental therapists in Florida. Corresponding bills in the state House of Representatives and Senate aim to create a dental therapist certification that could be earned in three years, compared to the eight years of study required for dentists. However, the Florida Dental Association has cited concerns about the quality of care that would be provided by dental therapists and the cost of creating a dental therapist certification program. Instead of a dental therapist program, the organization said it supports expanding the dental student loan repayment program, which allows new dentists to pay off $50,000 per year for up to five years if they are treating Medicaid patients.
3. West Virginia legislators are considering Senate Bill 458, which would guarantee license transfer for certain licensed professions when people move to West Virginia from a state in which they were already licensed. The West Virginia Board of Dentistry pushed for an amendment to the bill that would exclude dental professionals from the bill, stating that the bill could lead to licenses being issued to dentists who have not taken a hand skill exam because not all states require this exam. Senators ultimately voted against the amendment.
4. Dental organizations and dentists are debating lawmakers on bills aiming to prohibit community water fluoridation in certain states. Community water fluoridation began being contested last year after the National Toxicology Program concluded in a report that higher levels of fluoride exposure are associated with lower IQ in children. Since the NTP report’s release, the effects of fluoride have been questioned at the state and federal level. Several statewide bans have been proposed, while more than a handful of cities across the U.S. have already voted to ban fluoride from their water supplies. Many dentists have shared concerns about what these bans could mean for patients’ dental health, while state and national organizations continue to share the benefits of community water fluoridation.
5. Dental leaders are continuing to advocate for increased Medicaid funding as federal legislators work to create a new budget. The House budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2025 calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which is responsible for matters related to public health and the Department of Health and Human Services, is specifically being asked to cut $880 billion, leading many government officials and healthcare workers to believe that cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs are likely. Dental leaders warned that Medicaid cuts could threaten already unstable dental Medicaid programs, exacerbate workforce shortages and lead to worsening oral health conditions. The American Dental Association also joined more than two dozen state and national organizations in signing a March 3 letter that asks lawmakers to strengthen the Medicaid and CHIP programs, and highlights the role these programs play in supporting Americans.
