Michigan Passes Dental Therapist Bill
The Michigan Legislature has authorized the creation of dental therapists.
A bill authorizing the licensing of dental therapists in the state of Michigan—Senate Bill 541—passed the House of Representatives in December 2018, following the bill’s approval by the Senate in November 2017. SB 541 was signed into law on December 28, 2018, by Governor Rick Snyder.
SB 541 allows graduates of an accredited dental therapy education program who have completed 500 hours of clinical practice, supervised by a dentist, to provide preventive and specific restorative dental services to patients. Dental therapists will work under supervision of a dentist and through a written practice agreement.
Dental therapy has been enacted into law in Maine, Vermont, Arizona, Washington (exclusive to Tribal Lands), Minnesota and Michigan, according to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.
[…] preventive and specific restorative dental services to patients,” Dimensions of Dental Hygiene reported. The providers will work under the supervision of a dentist through a written practice agreement, […]