FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 18, 2021 – The Wisconsin Dental Association today released the following statement from WDA President Dr. Paula Crum, a Green Bay periodontist, after LRB 1534-1 was released for co-sponsorship:
“On behalf of the 3,100 members of the Wisconsin Dental Association, I want to thank Sen. Mary Felzkowski and Rep. Jon Plumer for authoring LRB 1534-1, which authorizes the use of Expanded Function Dental Auxiliaries (EFDAs) in Wisconsin. We are grateful for the authors’ continued passion and dedication toward addressing oral health in Wisconsin.
Once trained, EFDAs, used in nearly half of the nation and the military, are able to perform an expanded scope and can only perform these procedures while under the direct supervision of the supervising dentist. The dentist must remain in the dental clinic, and must verify that the procedures have been performed successfully. The dentist is fully responsible and liable for all procedures performed by the EFDA.
An EFDA can be used to improve access to care for underserved populations, and provide a way to deal with potential dental workforce shortages, like we are seeing around the state with Registered Dental Hygienists.
We greatly appreciate the increased attention being paid to oral health in Wisconsin. We all agree that getting more people quality oral healthcare will require a multi-pronged approach, utilizing a variety of solutions. The Wisconsin Dental Association strongly believes creating EFDAs in Wisconsin is one of the prongs to do just that.
On behalf of our 3,100 members, I respectfully request that members of the legislature co-sponsor LRB 1534-1 authored by Sen. Felzkowski and Rep. Plumer.”
