Preparing for
the Future
by Trisha O'Hehir, RDH, MS
Hygienetown Editorial Director
Two things should be considered when looking into the future of periodontal therapy. First, our efforts as dental professionals to eradicate dental disease, periodontal disease and caries have not succeeded. According to the research, these diseases are completely preventable, but not with the prevention approaches we follow today and have followed for the past 50 years. Brushing and flossing will not prevent dental disease because the average person is not effective with either a toothbrush or dental floss.
Second, the growing number of dental hygienists is outpacing
the shrinking number of dentists. Hygienists now
outnumber dentists, leaving many hygienists without
employment. There are currently approximately 350 dental
hygiene programs in the U.S. and 65 dental schools. Granted,
dental school classes are generally larger than dental hygiene
classes, but the numbers no longer balance. Most dental
schools now graduate as many women as men, with women
working part time more often than men. This creates the
need for new work environments for dental hygienists. It is
not financially feasible for dental hygienists to open their own
practices to provide non-surgical periodontal therapy. A few
hygienists have done this successfully, but the majority would
prefer to focus on prevention and not on recreating a dental
practice to provide a full range of dental hygiene services.
To address this problem, three Hygienetown Townies are
creating an international, online university where licensed
dental hygienists can complete a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Oral Health Promotion, and soon a master's degree will
provide the opportunity for hygienists to create new work
models taking oral health promotion outside the dental
office. O'Hehir University, created by Sarah Cottingham,
Tim Ives and myself, is preparing for the future with a focus
on eliminating dental disease through the creation of new
prevention-focused hygienist positions.
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