Dental hygiene education exceeds the degrees granted: A pilot study

O'Hehir, T

doi:10.1111/idh.12335

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Many health care professions have evaluated the entry‐level requirements and educational models to determine adequacy in developing competent graduates for changes to the scope of practice 2,4–6 . Some professions have already moved the entry‐level requirements to a bachelor's, master's, and clinical doctoral degree, while dental hygiene has remained at the associate level 7 . Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pharmacy are a few fields that have shifted the entry‐to‐practice requirements to prepare providers for the complexities of the twenty‐first century patient 4–6 like dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, and nursing have multiple entry points 8,9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dental hygiene's multiple entry points have been a topic of discussion for decades. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has supported the transition to move the entry‐level requirements to a bachelor's degree since 1986, but while modifications have been made to the curricula, the entry‐level degree has remained at the associate level since 1945 2,7 . The American Dental Education Association also recognized the need for a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene and proposed alternative pathways to the degree in a policy brief 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The CODA annual survey findings showed that the average total clock hours for instruction (including general education and biomedical sciences) in dental hygiene programs are much the same for both the associate (3090 h) versus the bachelor's degree programs (2971 h) 11 . A pilot study with a small sample of programs suggested the graduates completed 49 credits more than the minimum number needed for an associate degree which suggests the expanding curricular needs exceed what is possible for an entry‐level associate degree in dental hygiene 7 . Based on the changes in the health care environment and roles of the dental hygiene profession, ADHA convened a group to explore transforming dental hygiene education to advance the profession in 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dental hygiene student attitudes about benefits of baccalaureate degree and factors impacting entry‐level program choice

Reid

Boyd

Vineyard

2021

Journal of Dental Education

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Purpose/objectives Although the bachelor's degree is the entry‐level degree option supported by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the majority of dental hygiene programs remain associate degree. The aim of this study was to explore factors impacting entry‐level program choice and examine attitudes and perceptions of dental hygiene students pertaining to a bachelor's degree (BS) as the entry‐level degree. Methods A cross‐sectional survey research design was utilized with a convenience sample of dental hygiene students (n = 429) from the United States and Canada. The 33‐item survey had four sections: demographics, factors influencing program choice, attitudes, and perceptions of a BS. Descriptive and inferential analysis was used to explore the relationship between variables. Results The completion rate was 91% (n = 384). Factors that most influenced program choice included: location (74%), cost (68%), and time to completion (47.7%). Students with mothers who graduated from college were more likely to rank time to completion as their number one factor (37%) (χ2[df2] = 19.6, p < 0.001, phi = 0.33). Students in bachelor's programs were significantly more likely to believe a bachelor's degree better prepared clinicians for duties required in future practice and that the entry‐level degree should be raised to a bachelor's degree (p < 0.001). While more students in associate degree program agreed there were opportunities in education without a bachelor's degree (p < 0.05). Conclusion Cost, time to completion, and location were the factors influencing students’ program choice. While the dental hygiene profession advocates raising the entry‐level degree to a bachelor's programs, less than 40% of dental hygiene students supported this change.

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