Being of younger age, female and employed were associated with visiting a dentist in the previous 12 months.

A substantial proportion of Somali adults rated their oral health and access to dental care as poor/fair. These findings suggest that this population would benefit from improved access to oral health care and culturally appropriate oral health education and promotion programs.

No abstract

The purpose of the study reported here was to assess first-and second-year dental students' knowledge of and attitudes about the role of the dental therapist in the oral health care delivery system. The results of this study are informing the continued development and implementation of a new dental workforce training model at the University of Minnesota. Dental students at the university (Classes of 2012 and 2013) were surveyed in 2009, with follow-up surveys planned for the subsequent five years. Multiple-choice questions and statements to be ranked using a Likert scale were used to determine what the students knew and thought about dental therapists' scope of practice, care delivery, work quality, cost-effectiveness, and role in reducing disparities in oral health care access. The results suggest that the students had generally neutral or uncertain attitudes about dental therapy, based on minimal knowledge about the role of dental therapists. In addition, we found little difference in attitudes between the two classes, the only exception being that the first-year students less often perceived the therapists as a solution to access problems. These baseline data are guiding the intraprofessional training of dental, dental hygiene, and dental therapy students toward the goal of positive socialization to a new workforce model and affirmation of the dental therapist as a member of the oral health care team.Prof. Blue is Assistant Professor and

Although the concept of dental therapy remains controversial in Minnesota, it now has a firm foundation in the state's safety net clinics. Dental therapists are being used in innovative and diverse ways, so, as dental therapy continues to evolve, further research to identify best practices for incorporating dental therapists into the oral health care team is needed.