Broadening EFDA Training Gives Tennessee Dentists a Workforce Advantage
By Kristen Pratt Machado
Originally at decisionsindentistry.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Tennessee dentists who train Expanded Functions Dental Auxiliaries (EFDAs) can immediately increase chairside capacity and revenue without adding new dentists, giving them a measurable productivity edge over practices that rely solely on DDS/DMD providers.
Key points
- EFDA expansion targets dental auxiliaries (assistants and hygienists) who already hold state licensure, allowing them to perform restorative procedures, impressions, and sealants under dentist supervision.
- Practices adopting EFDA models report higher daily procedure volume and shorter wait times, directly improving access for Medicaid and privately insured patients.
- Decisions in Dentistry positions EFDA training as a workforce solution for Tennessee practices facing dentist-recruitment shortages or high turnover.
- Other states monitoring Tennessee’s results may replicate the model, affecting future scope-of-practice debates and staffing strategies nationwide.
Who should care
Read the original on Decisions in Dentistry
Full reporting and any paywall content live on decisionsindentistry.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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