Expanded functions for dental auxiliaries education in Tennessee.

Access to care continues to be an overriding issue in dentistry. The development of new categories of dental auxiliaries, such as mid-level providers, is a matter of concern to many states and the dental profession. Tennessee has an EFDA educational program for dental auxiliaries taught by dental school educators who have trained more than 300 auxiliary personnel in restorative and prosthetic dentistry. Graduates of this educational program have helped keep Tennessee's dentists well ahead of any increased demand for dental care.