PURPOSE Several European countries have interprofessional training for health care professional students, including dental and dental hygiene students. However, very little training exists in the U.S. where dentists and dental hygienists are educated together. The 4th World Congress of Preventive Dentistry and the American Dental Education Association have stated that teamwork must be taught i...

PURPOSE Caries, a social ailment, is one of the diseases of civilization of the 20th century. In Poland, the incidence rate of caries is very high both in the young and adults. The major etiological factors of caries are: improper oral hygiene, diet based on carbohydrate-rich and highly processed food products, neglect of prophylaxis and dental check-up. The aim of the study was to assess denta...

PURPOSE Advanced dental hygiene practitioners (ADHPs), members of the oral health care team, bring care to persons disenfranchised from adequate dental services. ADHPs are licensed and provide the traditional educational, preventive and therapeutic dental hygiene services, plus diagnostic, prescriptive and minimally invasive restorative services. ADHPs work in collaboration with all members of ...

The purpose of this article is to report changes to dental hygiene education in Japan and to evaluate the successful implementation of these changes in 2010. The legislative change that began in 2005 revised the length of education for dental hygiene students from two years to three or four years (the mandate was three years), which has led to a dramatic change in program curriculum. After a fi...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 3-week practicum experience on the clinical self-confidence of University of North Carolina (UNC) senior dental hygiene students. METHODS A mixed methods approach was utilized. Before and after a 3-week practicum experience, UNC senior dental hygiene students (n=32) were asked to complete a 20-statement clinical self-confiden...

PURPOSE In 2002, a 6 year review of dental hygiene graduates from the Medical College of Georgia (1996 through 2001) was conducted to determine which criteria were the best predictors of success. Success was defined in terms of National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) score and dental hygiene GPA at graduation. The purpose of this follow-up study was to determine if a relationship exis...

In 1998, the House of Delegates of the International Federation of Dental Hygiene requested that the education committee of the federation develop curriculum guidelines to serve as models for countries that were initiating dental hygiene educational programmes. This article reviews the process of guideline development, identifies challenges and directions for the future. A review of topics, goa...

PURPOSE The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution establishes the basis for inmates' rights to health care and includes both routine and emergency medical, dental and psychiatric treatment. According to Georgia's Correctional Standards of Health Care, inmates should receive a dental examination within 30 days of incarceration, instructions in oral hygiene and other care by a dentist when me...

1031 Across the United States, the role of the dental hygienist is evolving. As a result, the dental hygiene curriculum must expand from a traditional private practice focus to include other career pathways, such as providing direct access oral health care in alternative settings, practicing in interprofessional health care environments, being an educator, engaging in research, participating in...