The Vermont Senate voted 18-0 for preliminary approval of a bill to license mid-level dental practitioners. Bill S.20 will be voted on today, reports VTdigger.com.
If it is passed, Vermont will be the fourth state to create such a license, according to VTdigger.com.
"S.20 allows people already licensed as hygienists to enter a graduate program and become licensed to perform many of the same services as a dentist," says the report. "The new class of provider, a dental therapist or dental practitioner, would practice under the direction of a dentist."
Advocates of the bill say a shortage of dentists is making it harder for citizens, especially on Medicaid, to gain access to services. They say the bill will allow dental practices to see more patients.
The Vermont Dental Society is opposing the bill out of concern about adequacy of training for the proposed licenses, and would rather recruit more dentists to the state.
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