ADHA, FTC Submit Final Comments to CODA on Proposed Standards for Dental Therapy Education Programs

ADHA, FTC Submit Final Comments to CODA on Proposed Standards for Dental Therapy Education Programs

U.S. Federal Trade Commission remarks echo those given by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association to the Commission on Dental Accreditation as comment period comes to a close.

Chicago (Dec. 3, 2014) — The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) recently submitted its comments to the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) regarding the proposed accreditation standards for dental therapy education programs. CODA asked communities of interest to provide comments prior to Dec. 1, 2014, and received responses from a variety of stakeholders — including remarks from the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), whose comments to CODA paralleled many of the same points that were included in ADHA’s remarks, and in which the FTC urged CODA to expeditiously adopt accreditation standards for dental therapy education programs.

The ADHA noted in its comments that “CODA’s mission is to serve the oral health care needs of the public through the development and administration of standards that foster continuous quality improvement of dental and dental related educational programs.”

“The ADHA is focused on improving the public’s access to quality oral health care, which is an essential part of overall health,” said ADHA President Kelli Swanson Jaecks, MA, RDH. “The comments we provided to CODA highlight the focus and commitment our organization has on improving access to care through the process of an accredited education program for dental therapists.”

The FTC has commented to CODA before on the need to revise the standards that were first proposed in 2013, and ADHA has applauded the FTC for its efforts to help ensure better access to care, and allow dental therapists to operate to the full scope of their practice.

“We were very pleased to see the FTC weigh in once again on the proposed dental therapy education standards. Chairwoman Edith Ramirez has been steadfast in her continuing effort to promote competition in the oral health care industry for the benefit of the public,” said ADHA Executive Director Ann Battrell, MSDH. She also noted the FTC’s comments that the timely adoption of standards has the potential to enhance competition by supporting state legislative initiatives to create dental therapists, and that national standards will help facilitate the mobility of dental therapists from state to state to meet consumer demand for services. “That competition provides opportunities for the public to receive greater access to needed oral health care, and opens doors for professional advancement to those practicing dental hygiene.”

In addition to any remarks supplied to CODA during the comment period, commissioners were able to hear comments directly from ADHA members on June 21, 2014, during an open hearing at ADHA’s 91st

Annual Session in Las Vegas; and ADHA President Swanson Jaecks, among others, addressed CODA several times during the American Dental Association’s (ADA’s) open hearing on the standards, which was held on Oct. 10, 2014, in conjunction with the ADA’s annual meeting in San Antonio. CODA is scheduled to meet on Feb. 6, 2015, in Chicago, where it is expected the commission will have further deliberations on the proposed standards for dental therapy education programs.

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