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Job satisfaction of dental hygienists in Pennsylvania: a quantitative analysis
Background
This study assessed job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among Pennsylvania dental hygienists using the validated Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) to identify key workplace factors associated with job satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and workforce instability.
Methods
A cross-sectional quantitative survey was distributed in 2024 to licensed dental hygienists in Pennsylvania using convenience sampling at two professional events. Participants completed the JSS, a 36-item instrument covering nine workplace domains, via an anonymous Qualtrics survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize overall satisfaction levels, and chi-squared tests to assess relationships between JSS responses and demographic variables such as years of experience and work setting.
Results
Of 342 responses, 328 met the inclusion criteria. Respondents were predominantly female (98.5%) and aged 55 and older (52.7%) and worked primarily in private dental practices (71.6%). Although the respondents reported high satisfaction with intrinsic motivators, such as pride in work (mean score = 5.31) and relationships with coworkers (mean = 5.06), they reported significant dissatisfaction with income (60.4% disagreed that they were fairly paid), promotional opportunities (87.1% agreed there was little chance for promotion), and organizational support. Frequency of raises and perceived inequity in benefits varied significantly among work settings, as did supervisory support and workplace conflict.
Conclusion
Despite high professional pride and collegiality, dissatisfaction with income, limited advancement, and administrative barriers may contribute to instability in the broader workforce. Addressing systemic dissatisfaction while reinforcing drivers of satisfaction may help sustain a resilient dental hygiene workforce and support access to care.
Journal Article
Wilkins' clinical practice of the dental hygienist
Walking dental hygiene students step-by-step through everything they need to know.
Book
COVID-19 Factors and Psychological Factors Associated with Elevated Psychological Distress among Dentists and Dental Hygienists in Israel
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of COVID-19 factors and psychological factors with psychological distress among dental staff during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 338 Israeli dentists and dental hygienists, who provided their demographic data; answered questions about COVID-19-related factors; and were assessed by subjective overload, self-efficacy, and psychological distress scales. Data were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression. Results revealed that elevated psychological distress was found among those who have background illness, fear of contracting COVID-19 from patient, and a higher subjective overload. Lower psychological distress was associated with being in a committed relationship and having higher scores for self-efficacy. Given these results, gathered during times of an infectious disease outbreak, exploring psychological distress among dental staff is warranted as the effects may be long-term.
Journal Article
Dental hygienist
\"If we don't keep our teeth clean, we can end up with cavities or even worse. Luckily, we have dental hygienists to help us keep our mouths healthy. Look inside to find out more about what these helpful hygienists do and how they do it\"--Page 4 of cover.
Book
Use of Clinical Competency Examinations for Dental Hygiene Licensure
Dental hygiene licensure with a clinical competency examination (CCE) using a live patient has been required by state licensing boards since 1929. Clinical competency examinations were initially used when dental training was poorly developed, non-standardized, and largely based on the apprenticeship model. Currently, Canada and the state of California have removed the requirement of passing a CCE for dental hygiene licensure, provided certain requirements have been met. Dentistry is the last health care profession to mandate that graduates pass a CCE. The vast majority of dental licensing boards continue to require that third party testing agencies validate the clinical skills of candidates that were acquired through accredited dental and dental hygiene education programs. Originally, there were 53 individual CCEs within the United States. As the profession became more uniform, regional examinations have replaced individual state examinations. Clinical competency examinations have come under scrutiny over the past few decades largely due to ethical concerns regarding human subjects and perceived limitations in manikin-based testing. Concerns about high stakes, single-encounter live patient exams and manikin exams have also been raised regarding their validity and reliability of measuring competency and readiness for clinical practice. In spite of the lack of peer-reviewed scientific evidence supporting the use of CCEs as reliable and valid instruments, dental boards continue to require them for initial licensure. While CCEs were initially developed to protect the public by ensuring the clinical competency of licensed clinicians, there is no predictive validity to support this intent. Ethical concerns regarding live patient, procedure-based dental and dental hygiene CCEs have been covered extensively in the literature. This short report will examine the ongoing concerns and updates on the use of CCEs for dental hygiene licensure.
Journal Article
Exploring the Experiences of Dental Hygienists as Myofunctional Therapists
Orofacial myofunctional disorders are disruptive patterns that can impact orofacial growth and development. The purpose of this study was to explore orofacial myology education, certification, and practice by dental hygienists (DH) as well as the advantages and barriers to the practice of orofacial myology for DHs.
A phenomenological heuristic qualitative approach was used for this study. Purposive sampling was used to solicit participants with experience in orofacial myology through the online membership lists of the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (AOMT), Breathe Institute and Neo-Health Services. Semi-structured, virtual interviews, personal experiences of the primary investigator, and historical documents were used for triangulation of the collected data to identify emerging themes.
Data analysis resulted in five core themes and nine sub-themes. The core themes included: uniform credentialing, autonomous workforce models, identity distinctiveness, business management, and access to myofunctional care.
Cost and complexity were the largest barriers to the practice of myofunctional therapy, while autonomy and a wide array of work assignments were identified as advantages. While myofunctional therapy education and certification can be complex and costly, this specialty deserves further attention as part of the delivery of preventive and therapeutic oral and systemic health care.
Journal Article
Expanded Scopes Of Practice For Dental Hygienists Associated With Improved Oral Health Outcomes For Adults
Dental hygienists are important members of the oral health care team, providing preventive and prophylactic services and oral health education. However, scope-of-practice parameters in some states limit their ability to provide needed services effectively. In 2001 we developed the Dental Hygiene Professional Practice Index, a numerical tool to measure the state-level professional practice environment for dental hygienists. We used the index to score state-level scopes of practice in all fifty states and the District of Columbia in 2001 and 2014. The mean composite score on the index increased from 43.5 in 2001 to 57.6 in 2014, on a 100-point scale. We also analyzed the association of each state's composite score with an oral health outcome: tooth extractions among the adult population because of decay or disease. After we controlled for individual- and state-level factors, we found in multilevel modeling that more autonomous dental hygienist scope of practice had a positive and significant association with population oral health in both 2001 and 2014.
Journal Article
Imbalances in the oral health workforce: a Canadian population-based study
Background
In Canada, a new federal public dental insurance plan, being phased in over 2022–2025, may help enhance financial access to dental services. However, as in many other countries, evidence is limited on the supply and distribution of human resources for oral health (HROH) to meet increasing population needs. This national observational study aimed to quantify occupational, geographical, institutional, and gender imbalances in the Canadian dental workforce to help inform benchmarking of HROH capacity for improving service coverage.
Methods
Sourcing microdata from the 2021 Canadian population census, we described workforce imbalances for three groups of postsecondary-qualified dental professionals: dentists, dental hygienists and therapists, and dental assistants. To assess geographic maldistribution relative to population, we linked the person-level census data to the geocoded Index of Remoteness for all inhabited communities. To assess gender-based inequities in the dental labour market, we performed Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions for examining differences in professional earnings of women and men.
Results
The census data tallied 3.4 active dentists aged 25–54 per 10,000 population, supported by an allied workforce of 1.7 dental hygienists/therapists and 1.6 dental assistants for every dentist. All three professional groups were overrepresented in heavily urbanized communities compared with more rural and remote areas. Almost all dental service providers worked in ambulatory care settings, except for male dental assistants. The dentistry workforce was found to have achieved gender parity numerically, but women dentists still earned 21% less on average than men, adjusting for other characteristics. Despite women representing 97% of dental hygienists/therapists, they earned 26% less on average than men, a significant difference that was largely unexplained in the decomposition analysis.
Conclusions
Accelerating universal coverage of oral healthcare services is increasingly advocated as an integral, but often neglected, component toward achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. In the Canadian context of universal coverage for medical (but not dentistry) services, the oral health workforce was found to be demarcated by considerable geographic and gendered imbalances. More cross-nationally comparable research is needed to inform innovative approaches for equity-oriented HROH planning and financing, often critically overlooked in public policy for health systems strengthening.
Journal Article
Dental Hygiene Students' Education and Intent to Use Recommended Communication Techniques
Dental hygienists' knowledge and application of clear communication techniques are critical due to their role as primary providers of education about preventive regimens. The purpose of this study was to obtain information about dental hygiene students' perceived education regarding recommended communication techniques and their intent to use these techniques in practice.
A national online survey was designed by the University of Maryland and structured by the American Dental Association's Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention (CAAP). The survey was distributed by the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) in 2019 to 9533 student email addresses. The survey included student demographics, the recommended communication techniques they were exposed to, when and where they were assessed, whether they had heard of the term health literacy, and their intent to use the communication techniques once in clinical practice. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Significance was set at
< 0.05.
A total of 235 surveys were returned for a 2.5% response rate. The majority were female (95.7%), white (81.7%) and born in the United States (89.8%). Nearly a third (28.1%) were in baccalaureate programs and over half (59.1%) were in associate degree programs. The most frequently reported method used to educate students about provider-patient communication techniques was lectures (88.9%). Respondents were more likely to report having knowledge regarding the use of simple language (98.3%) than asking the patient to repeat back the information or instructions (87.7%). Respondents had greater confidence (82.1%) and intention to use simple language (92.8%) than confidence to ask patients to repeat back information (73.2%) or intention to do so in the future (67.7%) The majority (58.3%) reported being evaluated on communication skills both in the classroom and clinic setting.
Results of this survey, although non-representative of all dental hygiene students, suggest a need for increased classroom and clinic use of recommended communication techniques in dental hygiene education programs. Dental hygiene graduates must understand the use of recommended communication techniques to reduce misinformation about oral health and increase patients' knowledge and understanding about preventing oral diseases.
Journal Article