About the Dental Health Aide Program
Dental Health Aides are part of Alaska’s tribal oral health team, working under supervision to deliver prevention, patient education, and dental treatment in rural communities.
What is a Dental Health Aide?
A Dental Health Aide (DHA) is a certified, community‑based oral‑health provider within Alaska’s Tribal Health System who delivers preventive, educational, and basic dental services under the Community Health Aide Program.
The program includes four provider levels—Primary Dental Health Aide (PDHA), Expanded Function Dental Health Aide (EFDHA), Dental Health Aide Hygienist (DHAH), and Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT)—each with its own training requirements and scope of practice. DHAs are certified rather than licensed, complete a clinical preceptorship, and must recertify every two years with continuing education and competency evaluations.
DHA roles at a glance
- Patient education
- Fluoride application and sealants
- Dental radiographs
- Dental cleanings
- Restorative care
- Emergency care
Dental Health Aides in the Alaska Tribal Health System
The Dental Health Aide (DHA) Program was created in the early 2000s as part of Alaska’s Community Health Aide Program to address the significant oral‑health disparities in Alaska Native communities. Following a 1999 survey that revealed extremely high rates of childhood tooth decay, Tribal Health Organizations and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium developed a new, community‑based dental workforce to bring preventive and basic restorative care directly to rural villages.
Alaska’s Dental Health Aide Program was created to improve oral health in Alaska Native communities by training local providers to deliver care closer to home. All Dental Health Aides are certified by the Community Health Aide Program Certification Board and follow defined standards for education, supervision, and scope of practice.
The Tribal Health System employs four DHA levels:
- Primary Dental Health Aides (PDHAs) provide education and preventive services.
- Expanded Function Dental Health Aides (EFDHAs) are trained in either restorations or cleanings with options to add various skillsets such as sealants and atraumatic restorative treatment.
- Dental Health Aide Hygienists (DHAHs) can provide local anesthesia with hygiene services.
- Dental Health Aide Therapists/Practitioners (DHAT/Ps) complete a three‑year accredited program to provide diagnosis, treatment planning, cleanings, preventive care, restorative and emergency care.
Dental Health Aides in Alaska Today
The DHA Program has expanded access to culturally grounded, evidence‑based dental care for more than 40,000 rural Alaskans, many of whom previously had little or no regular dental care.
Alaska’s DHA model is now considered a global example of how to improve access and outcomes in underserved regions.