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Purpose: To determine the perceptions of California dental hygienists (DHs) regarding mandatory continued competence requirements (MCCRs) as a condition for license renewal. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was distributed through email by the California Dental Hygienists' Association (CDHA). The CDHA agreed to send a link to the survey and informed consent information to DHs whose email addresses were in the CDHA database. The online survey consisted of 19 items. All survey responses were analyzed using frequency distributions for categorical variables and means for continuous variables. Chi-square tests assessed associations between variables and differences between groups. The Wilcoxon signed rank test assessed relationships between perceptions and support of MCCRs for license renewal. Results: Almost all (93%) believed that they have remained competent to deliver care since licensure. Over half agreed that continued competence should be verified throughout ones' professional career (53%). Most (81%) agreed that continued competence is important for patient safety and well-being. Less than half (47%) supported MCCRs as a condition of license renewal; however, 51% of those who agreed that competence is important for patient safety and well-being and 67% of those who agreed with verification of competence were in support of MCCRs. Conclusion: While California DHs agreed that continued competence is important for patient safety and well-being and verification of competence is important, less than half supported MCCRs. Prior to instituting mandate for license renewal in California, continued competence and methods to ensure continued competence throughout ones' career should be defined. Keywords: continuing education; dental and dental hygiene workforce models; education concepts and theory; evidence based practice; survey research This study supports the following NDHRA priority areas: Heath Services Research: Evaluate strategies dental hygienists use to effectively influence decisionmakers involved in health care legislation and develop valid and reliable measures of quality dental hygiene care. Professional Education and Development: Validate measures that assess continued clinical competency., INTRODUCTION Dental hygienists enter the profession with a commitment to lifelong learning in order to maintain competence in an evolving health care system. This commitment is a key component of [...]

Purpose: Progress in the dental hygiene discipline is predicated on the development of a community of scholars with a dental hygiene scholarly identity who explore questions central to the art and science of dental hygiene and in doing so create conceptual models to expand the discipline's structural hierarchy of knowledge. Graduate dental hygiene education is challenged to develop programs that stimulate and nurture dental hygiene scholars as well as scientists. The need for the development of dental hygiene doctoral education is critical to strengthening our discipline's scholarly identity. The authors explore the tyranny of the 'Queen-Bee' and the paralyzing nature of the 'Imposter Syndrome,' as pathologic non-productive behavior patterns that create roadblocks not only for the individual to move forward, but also for the discipline as a whole. Recognizing and eliminating these maladaptive syndromes will empower the individual as well as strengthen the collective to build a strong dental hygiene scholarly identity. The significance of dynamic 'Follower-ship' as an often undervalued concept is offered as an antidote to overcome roadblocks and energize the collective's value of a scholarly identity for dental hygiene. Keywords: scholarly identity, graduate dental hygiene education, dental hygienists, doctoral dental hygiene education, imposter phenomenon, queen bee syndrome, follower-ship This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Professional Education and Development: Identify the factors that affect recruitment and retention of faculty., INTRODUCTION Scholarship development in dental hygiene is a very broad concept, but it can be thought of as existing on a continuum (Figure 1). At one end of the continuum [...]

Purpose: To assess California dental hygiene educators' perceptions of an application of the American Dental Hygienists' Association's (ADHA) advanced dental hygiene practitioner model (ADHP) in medical settings where the advanced dental hygiene practitioner collaborates in medical settings with other health professionals to meet clients' oral health needs. Methods: In 2014, 30 directors of California dental hygiene programs were contacted to participate in and distribute an online survey to their faculty. In order to capture non-respondents, 2 follow-up e-mails were sent. Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulations were analyzed using the online survey software program, Qualtrics[TM]. Results: The educator response rate was 18% (70/387). Nearly 90% of respondents supported the proposed application of the ADHA ADHP model and believed it would increase access to care and reduce oral health disparities. They also agreed with most of the proposed services, target populations and workplace settings. Slightly over half believed a master's degree was the appropriate educational level needed. Conclusion: Among California dental hygiene educators responding to this survey, there was strong support for the proposed application of the ADHA model in medical settings. More research is needed among a larger sample of dental hygiene educators and clinicians, as well as among other health professionals such as physicians, nurses and dentists. Keywords: advanced dental hygiene practitioner, dental hygienist, inter-professional collaboration, midlevel provider, mid-level oral health care provider, advanced dental therapist, dental therapist, dental hygiene therapist This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Health Services Research: Investigate how alternative models of dental hygiene care delivery can reduce health care inequities., INTRODUCTION The February 2009 Institute of Medicine Workshop on the Oral Health Workforce in the U.S. highlighted interest in the development of new dental providers. (1) In 2004, the American [...]

Purpose: To explore the oral health perceptions and practices of Vietnamese adolescents 13 to 17 years old in San Jose, Calif. Methods: A purposeful sample of 10 Vietnamese parents with adolescent children were recruited at a Temple in San Jose, Calif. After gaining parental consent and adolescent assent, Vietnamese adolescents participated in an audio-taped, 20 to 30 minute, individual, semi-structured interview in English to explore their perceptions about oral health. Interview data were transcribed verbatim. All statements related to each question were identified, and similar statements were grouped into categories. Results: Ten adolescents participated in the study. All reported tooth appearance as the most important reason for oral care, and that oral health, diet and general health were related. All were concerned about dental pain. Of the respondents, 9 believed that having good teeth would give them more confidence, and help them find jobs and romantic partners, while 2 did not follow recommended oral hygiene routines or recognize early signs of disease. Seven participants favored U.S. dentists over Vietnamese dentists. Frequently reported barriers to seeking dental care were fear of dental treatment (n=7) and inability to pay for dental care (n=6). Conclusion: When educating Vietnamese adolescents, dental hygienists need to highlight availability of pain control, encourage better performance of personal oral hygiene and recommend dental clinics with sliding fee scales to low-income families. This approach to oral health education may enhance dental health and seeking of regular dental visits. Keywords: adolescents, oral health, qualitative, perception, belief, attitude This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention: Assess strategies for effective communication between the dental hygienist and client., INTRODUCTION The 1999 National Oral Health Survey of Vietnam reported 70% of children had decayed, missing or filled teeth. (1) In addition, a 2010 survey of the Vietnamese adult population [...]

Purpose: To determine perceptions about dental hygiene doctoral education among dental hygiene master's degree program enrollees. Methods: In this cross-sectional national study, all dental hygiene master degree program directors were sent an email requesting they forward an attached consent form and online-survey-link to their graduate learners. The 29-item online survey assessed their perceptions about need for, importance of and interest in applying to proposed dental hygiene doctoral degree programs. A second-request was sent 1 month later to capture nonresponders. Frequencies and cross-tabulations of responses were analyzed using the online software program, Qualtrics.[TM] Results: Of the 255 graduate learners enrolled in 2014 reported by dental hygiene program directors, 159 completed the survey for a 62% response rate. The majority of respondents (77%) indicated that doctoral education in dental hygiene is needed for the advancement of the dental hygiene discipline and such programs are important to the dental hygiene profession (89%). Although most respondents supported both the PhD in dental hygiene and the Doctor of Dental Hygiene Practice (DDHP) degrees, more were interested in applying to a DDHP program (62%) than to a dental hygiene PhD program (38%). In addition, 43% expressed interest in enrolling in a doctoral degree program in the next 1 to 5 years and most preferred a hybrid online/onsite program format. The most frequently reported reasons for pursing a doctoral degree were: to become a better teacher, to expand clinical practice opportunities, to become a better researcher and to increase salary. Conclusion: Most dental hygiene master degree learners in this study believed doctoral dental hygiene education is needed and important to the dental hygiene discipline and profession, and were interested in applying to such programs. Future research is needed in this area. Keywords: doctoral dental hygiene education, doctorate of dental hygiene practice, master's degree in dental hygiene, dental hygiene graduate education This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Professional Education and Development: Assess how educators are socializing students to research., INTRODUCTION Nursing, physical therapy and audiology have developed doctoral programs to prepare graduates to engage in discipline-specific research, education and practice (Table I). (1-4) However, to date there are no [...]

Introduction Dental hygiene scholarship development exists on a continuum. At one end of the continuum, scholarship begins in entry-level dental hygiene programs and then progresses to increasing higher levels of [...]

Purpose: Because dental hygiene education has had a similar trajectory as nursing education, this critical review addressed the question 'What can the dental hygiene discipline learn from the nursing experience in their development of doctoral education?' Information on admission and degree requirements, modes of instruction, and program length and cost was collected from the websites associated with 112 of 125 PhD nursing programs nationally, and 174 of 184 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. In addition, searches of PubMed, Cumulative Index Nursing Allied Health Literature (CI-NAHL) and the Web of Science were utilized to identify key articles and books. The following 4 insights relevant to future dental hygiene doctoral education emerged from a review of nursing doctoral education: First, nursing doctoral education offers 2 main doctoral degrees, the research-focused PhD degree and the practice-focused DNP degree. Second, there is a well-documented need for doctoral prepared nurses to teach in nursing programs at all levels in managing client-care settings. Third, curricula quality and consistency is a priority in nursing education. Fourth, there are numerous templates on nursing doctoral education available. The historical background of nursing doctoral education was also reviewed, with the assumption that it can be used to inform the dental hygiene discipline when establishing doctoral dental hygiene education. The authors recommend that with the current changes toward medically and socially compromised patient populations, impending changes in health care policies and the available critical mass of master degree- prepared dental hygiene scholars ready to advance the discipline, now is the time for the dental hygiene discipline to establish doctoral education. Keywords: nursing doctoral degree, PhD, DNP, scholarship, nursing degrees This study supports the NDHRA priority area, Professional Education and Development: Investigate how other health professions have established the masters and doctoral levels of education as their entry level into practice., Introduction Dental hygiene, like nursing, has had a challenging path to professional recognition. Both professions have experienced conflict and controversy, yet they both represent unique disciplines. (1,2) The dental hygiene [...]