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ADA Backs Senate Bill to Expand Dental Hygienist and Assistant Training

Posted: June 26, 2026

ADA Backs Senate Bill to Expand Dental Hygienist and Assistant Training

Edited by Dentaltown staff

The American Dental Association is backing a Senate bill that would expand team-based training for health professionals, telling its sponsor the measure could help ease shortages of dental hygienists and dental assistants in underserved communities.

In a June 23 letter to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the ADA endorsed S. 4370, the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act, which would fund educational and clinical training programs for a range of primary care professions. The association framed the bill as a way to strengthen the dental workforce, saying expanded training could direct more practitioners to rural and high-need areas.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the bill April 22. It was referred to the committee and has not yet advanced. The legislation is aimed broadly at primary care teams across disciplines, with nursing, physician assistant, and pharmacist organizations also endorsing it; the ADA’s support focuses on the dental team members the centers would help train.

The association tied its position to recruitment pressures reported across the profession. Nine of 10 dentists say they have trouble hiring dental hygienists and assistants, a problem the ADA called especially acute in rural and underserved areas. “This legislation is pivotal in mobilizing dental professionals to regions where they are needed most,” the association wrote.

The ADA pointed to the federal Teaching Health Center program as a model, saying community-based training has produced dental professionals more likely to practice in high-need communities. The proposed education centers would build on that approach by adding clinical training capacity within health centers.

The letter was signed by ADA President Richard J. Rosato and Executive Director Nader A. Nadershahi. The association said it would continue working with Kaine to advance the bill.

Sources:
ADA News, “ADA supports Senate bill aimed at expanding dental team training,” June 23, 2026: adanews.ada.org/.../expanding-dental-team-training
American Dental Association, letter to Sen. Tim Kaine on S. 4370, June 23, 2026 (PDF): ada.org/.../260623_119s4370_pcteca_nosig.pdf
Office of Sen. Tim Kaine, “Kaine Introduces Legislation to Support the Education of Future Primary Care Providers,” April 22, 2026: kaine.senate.gov/.../future-primary-care-providers


ADA Backs Senate Bill to Expand Dental Hygienist and Assistant Training

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