LANSING, Mich. — Michigan has licensed its second dental therapist as the state works to expand routine dental care in communities where access remains limited.
Jamie Toney received her license in February and is practicing at The Wellness Plan Medical Center in metro Detroit. Her licensure follows Dana Obey, who provides dental therapy services in the Upper Peninsula, giving Michigan two licensed dental therapists serving patients in different regions of the state.
Dental therapists are licensed oral health providers who work under a dentist’s supervision and perform routine services such as exams, cleanings and fillings. Because the role focuses on a narrower range of procedures, the training path is shorter and less expensive than traditional dental school, making it one option for building the dental workforce more quickly.
The shortage is significant across Michigan. More than 1.5 million residents live in federally designated dental shortage areas, where finding timely care can be difficult. Those gaps affect children, seniors, low-income families, pregnant women, people with disabilities and rural residents.
Dental therapists can practice in private offices as well as schools, mobile clinics and community health centers, helping bring care closer to patients who might otherwise face long waits or limited treatment options. The profession has existed internationally for more than 100 years and is now authorized in at least 14 states.
Michigan is also working to grow the pipeline for future providers. Ferris State University is developing the state’s first dental therapy training program, with Dr. Deborah Brown, chief executive officer of My Community Dental Centers, selected to lead the effort. The state is supporting that work through a federal oral health workforce grant.
The addition of a second licensed dental therapist marks another step in Michigan’s effort to strengthen its oral health workforce and improve access to care in underserved communities across the state.
