Key Points
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This paper outlines the history and development of dental therapy within the UK.
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It describes the recent expansion in the number of dental therapy training places and details of dental therapy schools.
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It explores the clinical remit of dental therapists, the expanded range of clinical settings in which they currently work and their future importance in providing added value to the dental team.
Abstract
The number of students entering training for dental therapy has been increasing rapidly over the last few years. In practice, the scope of their work has increased, both in terms of permitted duties and their range of clinical settings. The possibilities for dental practitioners to work with therapists is therefore increasing, so it is important for them to be clear about therapists' potential capacity to provide added value to the dental team. This paper, which is the first of four covering aspects of dental therapy in the UK, traces the history of dental therapy together with the development of therapists' training opportunities and emerging competencies, up to the present. The subsequent three papers will describe aspects of a survey of dental therapists undertaken in late 2006.
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This study was funded by the NHS R&D Primary Dental Care Programme.
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Rowbotham, J., Godson, J., Williams, S. et al. Dental therapy in the United Kingdom: part 1. Developments in therapists' training and role. Br Dent J 207, 355–359 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.900
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.900
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