Maine Health Center Looks to Add a Dental Hygiene Therapist
A federally qualified health center—Penobscot Community Health Care—in Bangor, Maine, has received the necessary funding to begin a pilot project that would integrate the state’s first dental hygiene therapist into its dental center’s care team.
A federally qualified health center—Penobscot Community Health Care—in Bangor, Maine, has received the necessary funding to begin a pilot project that would integrate the state’s first dental hygiene therapist into its dental center’s care team, with the ultimate goal being to improve access to professional oral health care among the underserved while reducing the cost of such care. Supported by a $25,000 grant from the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, the center is actively recruiting qualified candidates. The Maine Health Access Foundation has provided an additional $7,500 to evaluate the clinical and financial success of the project.
Dental hygiene therapists were approved to practice in 2014 in the state of Maine; however, none has undergone the certification and licensure processes. Penobscot Community Health Care is seeking dental hygienists who can meet the minimum requirements, which include completing a dental hygiene therapy educational program and fulfilling 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice experience.
From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. January 2020;18(1):9.
