WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?
Student debt -
Student debt is continually on the rise as another current issue— and as students we view it as more than just an issue of money, we view it as a hindrance to our patient care. According to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) the average dental student graduates with upwards of $241,000 of student loan debt—an increase of over 66% in the last decade and an amount vastly exceeding the national average—jeopardizing a new dentist’s ability to choose their preferred career path.
When one graduates with such astronomical debt, we are almost forced into taking or accepting a job offer that will pay us well enough so that we can pay off our debt as soon as possible. Is there an underserved population? Yes. Do we want to help make a difference and deliver care to these underserved areas? Yes. But is it economically feasible? Not always.
As a dedicated student group, Buffalo students have lobbied in Washington D.C. at National Student Lobby Day for consecutive years combatting the issue of student debt, hoping to push and find financial breaks so that our students can come out of school with less debt so that we can have the option to go out and serve the underserved communities. A few but not all of the legislative measures we have pushed for consist of:
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Expansion of the tax deductibility of interest on educational debt, student scholarships and loan repayments
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The reduction of student loan interest rates;
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Improved access to public service loan forgiveness program
Amalgam –
With increasing concern for the use of mercury in society, Dental amalgam has become a controversial topic. The national ASDA website states, "…based on available scientific data, the continued use of amalgam as a restorative material does not pose a health hazard to the non-allergic patient. The removal of clinically serviceable dental amalgam restorations solely to substitute a material that does not contain mercury is unwarranted, improper, unethical and intentional misrepresentation to the patient." As an Advocacy Team, we aim to inform and educate our students on the safety and scientific evidence of amalgam so that they can further educate and assure their patients, with facts and research, that amalgam is safe for use, but should not be removed from a patients current set of restorations for esthetic reasons, if those said restorations are functional.
Mid Level Providers -
One of the hot topic dental issues is the increasing rise in potential midlevel providers, better known as dental therapists. ASDA identifies a midlevel provider as an individual, who is not a dentist and does not have four years of post-collegiate education, who may perform irreversible procedures on the public (if approved). As dental students, we understand the importance of our education so that we can adequately develop our skill sets and knowledge, so that we can deliver the highest level of quality care to our patients. No procedure that any dentist performs should be qualified as “simple” in the eyes of midlevel provider proponents—especially with the education and training (or lack there of education) that they have received.
So why is there a sudden burst of midlevel providers in the states? One area to look at within the dental community are the areas that are underserved and lacking dental care. This is one reason for the sudden push for dental therapists; because in the eyes of midlevel provider proponents, isn’t any care better than none? We believe that every patient deserves the highest level of care and that our education cannot be substituted for a midlevel provider education—it is simply unethical to the patient. It is our responsibility as a dental community to ensure that all populations are provided with the opportunity to access quality care by a fully trained dentist. ASDA’s policy on midlevel providers states that only a qualified dentist should perform the following functions, including but not limited to:
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Examination, diagnosis and treatment planning
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Prescribing work authorizations
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Performing irreversible dental procedures
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Prescribing drugs and/or other medications