Dental therapists: a controversial option

Many people have grown accustomed to seeing a physician assistant for minor ailments when their family doctor can't fit them in.

Now dentistry is creating a similar specialty - a dental therapist who could perform basic dental procedures while freeing up full-fledged dentists to do more complex and invasive procedures, such as extractions and oral surgery.

Not everyone, though, thinks it's the best way to proceed.

Two states, Alaska and Minnesota, currently allow dental therapists to provide oral care, according to the American Dental Association. Minnesota was the first to license dental therapists, and the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry has become the first college in the nation to offer a dental therapy track.

However, the concept faces high-level opposition. The American Dental Association has come out against the idea of dental therapists. - HealthDay