American Dental Association responded to “Frontline” report.
ADA Statement on PBS Frontline’s ‘Dollars and Dentists
The ADA appreciates the mounting media interest in what Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., famously called a “silent epidemic” of oral disease. Unfortunately, the situation has improved little since Dr. Satcher wrote those words in 2000. The needless suffering caused by untreated dental disease that could have been prevented or easily treated in its early stages is unacceptable. Coverage by PBS’s “Frontline” and other media can increase awareness of this ongoing tragedy and, we hope, the political will to do something about it.
We regret, however, that “Frontline” chose to title its program “Dollars and Dentists,” and devoted so much of its air time to the debate over allowing so-called “dental therapists” with as little as 18 months post-high school training to perform surgical procedures like extractions and pulpotomies (drilling through the hard tooth surface and removing soft tissue). The ADA believes therapists’ training does not adequately prepare them to do so. This is especially true for the populations in greatest need, in which many people suffer from co-morbidities like diabetes and obesity, or for children with rampant decay and the accompanying chronic infections.
