Dental, Dental Hygiene, and Graduate Students’ and Faculty Perspectives on Dental Hygienists’ Professional Role and the Potential Contribution of a Peer Teaching Program

Abstract

The changing role of dental hygienists deserves dental and dental hygiene educators’ attention. The first aim of this survey study was to assess University of Michigan dental, dental hygiene, and graduate students’ and faculty members’ perceptions of dental hygienists’ roles; their attitudes and behaviors related to clinical interactions between dental and dental hygiene students; and perceived benefits of engaging dental hygiene students as peer teachers for dental students. The second aim was to assess whether one group of dental students’ experiences with dental hygiene student peer teaching affected their perceptions of the dental hygiene profession. Survey respondents were 57 dental hygiene students in all three years of the program (response rate 60% to 100%); 476 dental students in all four years (response rate 56% to 100%); 28 dental and dental hygiene graduate students (response rate 28%); and 67 dental and dental hygiene faculty members (response rate 56%). Compared to the other groups, dental students reported the lowest average number of services dental hygienists can provide (p≤0.001) and the lowest average number of patient groups for which dental hygienists can provide periodontal care (p<0.001). Dental students also had the least positive attitudes about clinical interactions between dental hygiene and dental students (p<0.001) and perceived the fewest benefits of dental hygiene student peer teaching (p<0.001) before experiencing peer teaching. After experiencing dental hygiene student peer teaching, the dental students’ perceptions of dental hygienists’ roles, attitudes about clinical interactions with dental hygienists, and perceived benefits of dental hygiene student peer teachers improved and were more positive than the responses of their peers with no peer teaching experiences. These results suggest that dental hygiene student peer teaching may improve dental students’ perceptions of dental hygienists’ roles and attitudes about intraprofessional care.

Investigating the Effects of Intraprofessional Learning in Nursing Education: Protocol for a Longitudinal Study

“…Interprofessional learning and its positive effects are widely described in the literature [ 3 ]. Whilst IaPL is less well documented in health professional education, it has been reported in some studies, for example, dentistry students and dental hygienists learning collaboratively to deliver team-based care [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], occupational therapy and occupational therapist assistant students learning together [ 11 ], physical therapists and physical therapy assistants collaborating within the classroom [ 12 ] and intraprofessional workplace learning in postgraduate medical education [ 3 ].…”

“…A range of innovative teaching methods have been used across the health professions in IPL including nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and medicine [ 5 , 6 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 23 , 24 ]. These include simulation-based education (SBE), student-led training wards, problem-based learning and group projects [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Possibility of a Standardized System for Task-Related Hierarchal Positions of Dental Hygienists

“…In recent times, the expected roles and responsibilities of dental hygienists have been increasing with the trend of expansion and specialization of dental institutions 3,4) .…”

Educating Dental Hygienists to Meet Future Health Care Needs and Roles of the Profession

“…This issue of the Journal of Dental Education addresses some of the domains necessary to prepare graduates for the future of health care, with three articles focused on intra‐ and interprofessional education 8 – 10 . Two of these articles also explore the value of dental hygiene students’ peer teaching to impact dental and/or medical students’ perceptions of the role of dental hygienists 9 , 10 . This research is of particular interest given that many dental schools do not have dental hygiene programs, so dental and dental hygiene students lack the opportunity to work together and appreciate what each brings to the dental team in providing quality care.…”