FTC Staff Comment Before the Commission on Dental Accreditation Concerning Proposed Accreditation Standards for Dental Therapy Education Programs

FTC staff filed an advocacy comment with the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) regarding proposed accreditation standards for education programs for dental therapists. The comment praised CODA’s proposed accreditation standards for helping to facilitate the development of a nationwide dental therapy profession, but also recommended that CODA omit unnecessary language on supervision and scope of practice, which could constrain the discretion of states to determine dental therapists’ scope of practice and possibly deter innovation in dental care education.