Study Demonstrates Efficacy of Mid-Level Providers

Study Demonstrates Efficacy of Mid-Level Providers

As demand for oral health services increases, dental hygiene therapists could play a key role in screening for dental caries and periodontal diseases among low-risk, asymptomatic patients—potentially lowering the cost of care without sacrificing effectiveness. Researchers from the School of Dentistry, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom sought to test this theory by delegating the responsibility of screening for dental diseases to dental hygiene therapists, instead of dentists. In the analysis, 1,899 patients were screened by mid-level providers, with the results published online by the Journal of Dental Research in a January article titled “The Efficacy of Screening for Common Dental Diseases by Hygiene-Therapists: A Diagnostic Test Accuracy Study.”

In the UK, many patients use a state-funded system when seeking dental treatment. The United States, however, faces significant access-to-care issues. Employing mid-level providers to perform basic checkups and evaluations on low-risk patients is one way to reduce the cost of care.

The study compared the visual diagnostic test accuracy of dental hygiene therapists vs general dentists when screening for common dental diseases. Study participants were assessed for caries and periodontal diseases. Results from the study determined that dental hygiene therapists were able to detect common dental diseases within the same range as dentists, demonstrating that the mid-level provider model may be an important component of solving access-to-care problems both in the UK and the US.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

February 2015