Colorado to license dental therapists to expand oral health options

Five Colorado counties don’t have a single dental provider, meaning people often drive long distances for routine care.

One in five Coloradans report having fair or poor oral health, 53 of Colorado’s 64 counties have dental health professional shortages, and adults in rural areas have almost twice the prevalence of tooth loss when compared with their urban counterparts. 

Only 28% of Colorado dentists served any Medicaid enrolled patients in 2018, and in low-income schools, 44% of all kindergarteners had at least one cavity, according to data collected by Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit that works to influence public policy to improve health care for people across the state.

A law passed last year was intended to help close those oral health gaps by…