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David A. Nash, DMD, MS, EdD and Ron J. Nagel, DDS, MPH

David A. Nash is with the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Lexington. Ron J. Nagel is with the Indian Health Service, the Clinical and Preventive Support Center for the Alaska area and is a consultant with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, Alaska.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to David A. Nash, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky 40526 (e-mail: danash{at}email.uky.edu).

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children are disproportionately affected by oral disease compared with the general population of American children. Additionally, AIAN children have limited access to professional oral health care. The Indian Health Service (IHS) and AIAN tribal leaders face a significant problem in ensuring care for the oral health of these children.

We discuss the development and deployment of a new allied oral health professional, a pediatric oral health therapist. This kind of practitioner can effectively extend the ability of dentists to provide for children not receiving care and help to confront the significant oral health disparities existing in AIAN children.

Resolving oral health disparities and ensuring access to oral health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives is a moral issue—one of social justice.

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