This article is thought-provoking given the new efforts in veterinary telemedicine.
Minnesota’s dental industry is returning to a high-tech solution known as teledentistry, which allows dental hygienists to provide preventive care at low cost while supervised electronically by dentists at a different location.
The trend comes as dental hygienists are taking on a greater share of preventive care, such as cleaning teeth, taking X-rays and applying fluoride treatments. Even when hygienists provide more of the care, dentists still must supervise the work and determine a patient’s treatment plan.
Source: Star-Tribune, October 8, 2018. Link. As part of its strategy to increase access, Minnesota became one of the first states to certify a class of mid-level professionals known as dental therapists, who can do some of the same work as a dentist but, like hygienists, work under supervision of a dentist.
INSIGHTS: This trend’s expansion may hasten the validation of veterinary telemedicine, the veterinary nurse initiative and adjustments to traditional “under the supervision of a veterinarian” rules.