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- Title
Registered Dental Hygienists' Interest on Entry into the Field of Dental Hygiene Therapy in the State of Maine.
- Authors
Smallidge, Dianne L.; Boyd, Linda D.; Rainchuso, Lori; Giblin, Lori J.; Lopresti, Laurence; Rothman, Andrew
- Abstract
Problem: In the spring of 2014, the Maine state legislature enacted a new law, LD1230, establishing a midlevel oral health care provider, the Dental Hygiene Therapist (DHT). The DHT was created to address the state's access to oral health care issue, with the scope of practice for the Maine DHT including preventive oral health care services, routine restorative treatment and simple extractions. Despite state legislative efforts to bring this licensed dental provider into reality, no dental therapy academic programs currently exist in New England. Additionally, the level of knowledge among Maine registered dental hygienists (RDHs) regarding the DHT and interest in enrolling in a DHT program was unknown. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the awareness of Maine RDHs regarding this new oral healthcare role, and to gather information regarding their degree of interest in enrolling in a DHT program. Methodology: The study used a quantitative cross-sectional design with a non-probability purposive sampling of RDHs in Maine. The state licenses approximately 1,420 RDHs, and of these 1,284 were contacted via e-mail and invited to participate in the survey. The study was approved by the university's Institutional Review Board. Web-based survey software was used to collect data over a three week period with a questionnaire consisting of nineteen survey items, including eight demographic questions, Likert-type scale questions, multiple choice questions, and optional open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. Results: Two hundred sixty-eight of the Maine RDHs invited to participate responded and completed the electronic questionnaire. The response rate for the survey was 21%. Ninety-eight percent of those who responded were female, and the majority of participants were Caucasian (95%). Two hundred and thirty-two (87%) of the participants were aware of the law enacting the DHT as a provider in Maine, while 175 (66%) expressed interest in enrolling in a DHT program; 107 (61%) of respondents stated willingness to enroll in a DHT program within the coming year. Responses to the open-ended questions revealed the majority of RDHs saw a need for this new provider role with statements such as, "I believe it would be a great idea to implement this program to provide dental care to places that are underserved." Conclusions: The study outcomes indicate interest exists among Maine RDHs regarding entry into the DHT provider role and enrollment in a DHT program. Although no DHT programs exist in the New England states, this study suggests student enrollment would be sufficient to support the establishment of a DHT program within the coming year.
- Publication
Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2017, Vol 91, Issue 2, p70
- ISSN
1043-254X
- Publication type
Academic Journal