On October 6, 2026, Representative Jack Bergman introduced legislation that would change how dental therapist services operate in tribal health programmes.
H.R. 10751 would give tribal health programmes wider authority to deploy certified dental therapists. It would also block the federal government from reducing Community Health Aide Program funding when creating or expanding a national programme.
The bill was received on 2026-10-06 and currently has 2 cosponsors. The Congressional Record entry lists H.R. 10751 among a package of 17 public bills introduced that day. The available record gives no indication that it has passed either chamber, reached the Senate or become law. It remains a legislative proposal rather than an enacted change.
H.R. 10751 was introduced on October 6, 2026, as part of a package containing 17 public bills, H.R. 10751 through H.R. 10767.
What H.R. 10751 would change
H.R. 10751 is titled the Tribal Oral Health Sovereignty Act. It would remove a current restriction on dental therapist services provided through the Community Health Aide Program. Qualified dental therapists could then work in an Indian health programme.
Eligibility would extend to people certified by the Community Health Aide Certification Board or by an Indian tribe whose certification standards meet or exceed those of the Board. Services would still have to follow the certifying body's requirements for training and supervision. The same requirements would cover scope of practice and continuing education.
The bill would also allow these services when state law would otherwise restrict dental providers' licensure or certification. The provision would also cover registration and scope of practice. Tribal certification standards would therefore determine service eligibility within Indian health programmes.
A separate Action for Dental Health Act, H.R. 2001, proposed extending HRSA dental workforce grants of $15 million annually through fiscal year 2030. That measure concerns broader dental workforce policy and does not replace H.R. 10751's proposed provisions on tribal dental therapists.
A funding safeguard for tribal services
The proposal ties expanded dental therapist access to a specific funding protection. Federal officials would be prohibited from reducing Community Health Aide Program funding when creating or expanding a national programme.
That mechanism gives the bill a second operational effect. It addresses the resources supporting the Community Health Aide Program while the proposed dental therapist framework expands. Available materials do not confirm that H.R. 10751 has already changed the programme's rules or funding.
Separate tribal healthcare investments are moving forward outside this bill. The Oregon Health Authority says nine federally recognized tribes are expected to receive approximately $21.7 million in the first year through a Tribal Initiative under the Rural Health Transformation Program. The authority makes no connection between that funding and H.R. 10751 or the Community Health Aide Program. The figure appears in the Oregon program description.
The policy approach differs from workforce investment models such as the Norfolk training initiative. That effort centres on new education facilities and undergraduate places. H.R. 10751 instead addresses who may provide care within tribal health settings and which rules govern that work.
For dentists and dental teams, the proposal would establish a clearer tribal pathway for certified dental therapists if Congress adopts it. For patients in Indian health programmes, its practical effect would depend on implementation under the certifying body's standards. The available official materials show no confirmed hearings. They also show no votes, passage by either chamber or presidential signature after its introduction.
