A Dental Student's Perspective of Mid-level Providers in the Oral Healthcare Team.

The idea of mid-level providers in dentistry grew from the increasing lack of access to oral care in rural and other underserved communities. To meet this need, dental therapists emerged. However, from an educational standpoint, the topic is hardly mentioned or discussed. This commentary discusses the role that dental therapists play in addressing oral health disparities and the reason more information about them should be included in dental and medical curricula. As the field of dentistry evolves and the lack of access to oral care persists, educating dental students and students in other healthcare professions about dental therapists should be an equally important task.