By Mary Otto
In June 2013, dental hygienists celebrated the 100th anniversary of their profession.
It was in 1913 that a Bridgeport, Conn., dentist, Alfred Fones, opened the world’s first dental hygiene school. The first dental hygienist was Fones’ cousin and chairside assistant Irene Newman.
Today, more than 181,000 dental hygienists are at work in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The work of these dental auxiliaries has typically centered upon offering preventive services such as cleaning teeth, applying dental sealants and fluoride treatments, screening for oral cancer and offering oral health education.
But much about this profession has been changing in recent years.
Though they have encountered varying degrees of resistance from dentists’ groups, hygienists in many states have expanded their skill sets to serve wider populations and enjoy more professional autonomy. For instance in Minnesota, a new dental hygiene-based workforce model known as the advanced dental therapist now operates in much the same way as the nurse practitioner.
This fact sheet offered by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association offers a summary of this evolving dental workforce model.
Currently, 35 states are considered “direct access” states by the ADHA – states where hygienists are able to initiate treatment based upon their own assessments of patient needs without the specific authorization of a dentist.
This chart, put together by the American Dental Hygienists Association, offers a detailed look at direct-access states.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the employment of dental hygienists will grow by 38 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations.
“Ongoing research linking oral health and general health will continue to spur the demand for preventative dental services, which are often provided by dental hygienists,” the federal agency notes.
Here is more useful information about the profession, offered by the BLS.
