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Oral Health Practitioner 

In 2007, the Minnesota Safety Net Coalition made dental care a top priority because so many of their clients were facing serious dental problems and could not get treatment.

After studying the issues and discussing it with dentists, researchers, health care professionals, consumer groups and educational institutions, the Coalition’s members developed a set of legislative proposals to improve dental access. The most important Coalition proposal was to establish a mid-level dental professional who could provide treatment where no dentists are available and reduce the cost of treatment for low-income and uninsured patients.

A 2008 Minnesota law, which the Coalition supported, established a new mid-level oral health professional, like a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner in the medical field, who would be licensed by the Board of Dentistry and would work in safety net settings under the supervision of a Minnesota-licensed dentist under a written agreement. The new professional would be called an Oral Health Practitioner (“OHP”).

The legislation also created a work group to advise the commissioner of health on recommendations and legislation to specify the training and practice details for oral health practitioners and report to the 2009 Legislature. The Work Group’s report was completed in December 2008 and SF 1106 (Lynch)/HF 1226 (Thao) was introduced to implement the Work Group’s recommendations.

Minnesota Department of Health Oral Health Practitioner Work Group Report

Safety Net Coalition Support for the OHP legislation

Dental access issues for safety net settings

Safety net settings that could use an OHP

Organizations in support of OHP proposal

Research literature review of mid-level oral health providers

Corrections to information distributed by the Minnesota Dental Association

Star Tribune Editorial in support of OHP 4/16/09

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