By Thomas Leo Jordan
MnSF-Metro Region member

We need to explain what a denturist does and why we need denturist's licensed in Minnesota. A denturist makes false teeth in his own dental laboratory. A denturist would take an impression of the gums and then proceed to construct an upper and lower set of false teeth. His charges to a patient are 50-60 percent lower than going through a dentist.

For the last four years, legislation has been presented in the Minnesota legislature to license denturists. In 2003, a bill was presented in the House, but did not receive a hearing by the health and human services committee. The same bill was presented in the Senate and passed. It authorized the Minnesota Department of Health to be the licensing unit for denturists.

In 2005, a bill was presented to the Minnesota legislature that would grant the Board of Dentistry the licensing authority for denturists. At the hearing, the Minnesota Dental Association and Dentist's Licensing Board opposed the legislation.

In 2007, a bill will be once again introduced to license denturists. It will propose that:

• A person seeking a denturist's license in Minnesota would need to complete a two-year course on denturists at either Bates College in Oregon or a denturist's college in Canada (all provinces in Canada have licensed denturists).
• A denturist college program graduate would need a minimum of four years employment in a dental laboratory making false teeth.
• A license could be issued to a person who had been licensed to practice as a denturist in another state.

Currently in Minnesota, Century College offers a dental hygienist's program. Such a college or vo-tech institution could establish a denturist course. In time, as in other states, we would have a college training program and denturists could have their own board to license denturists, just like chiropractors have their own licensing board.

Dentists throughout the country have opposed denturists with strong lobbyists and significant financial support. Only six state have denturists.

In 2006, federal legislation helped seniors pay for prescriptions. Seniors have Medicare coverage, but thousands are without a dental plan to help with the cost of false teeth. Today we have no plan in place to help uninsured Minnesotans who need dentures. This legislation presents such a plan. Such a plan would benefit approximately 100,000 Minnesota citizens over the age of 60.