In a press launch final week, the American Dental Hygienists’ Affiliation (ADHA) has issued place statements in response to new resolutions proposed by the ADA to alleviate the workforce scarcity in oral health-care.1 Erin Haley-Hitz, dental hygienist and president of the ADHA, expressed concern over the impact the ADA’s resolutions could have on affected person security, academic requirements {and professional} integrity.2 In a letter addressed to ADA president Brett Kessler, Haley-Hitz stated:
“Such modifications fail to handle oral-systemic well being and the underlying points which might be driving many dental hygienists to go away the career. The measures proposed in these resolutions—whether or not supposed or not— threaten skilled integrity and affected person outcomes and basically undermine the dental hygiene career.”2
Listed here are the place statements printed by the ADHA:
Non-hygienists looking for licensure
Firstly, the ADHA reiterated their opposition in direction of proposed insurance policies that permit non-hygienists—together with dental college students, residents, and foreign-trained dentists—to hunt different pathways for dental hygiene licensure. Permitting unlicensed people to observe dental hygiene endangers affected person wellbeing and damages the requirements of the dental hygiene career, they argue.1
The ADHA stated: “Permitting these in roles which might be complementary to dental hygiene to observe the career with out the identical in depth dental hygiene schooling and sensible coaching is dangerous to sufferers and damaging to the requirements of the dental hygiene career.”3
At the moment, anybody trying to earn a dental hygiene license should full a CODA-accredited dental hygiene schooling program, and fulfill the scientific coaching, examination, and observe necessities.3
Dental workforce scarcity
The ADHA additionally acknowledges the workers scarcity for dental hygienists, working towards dentists, and different oral health-care staff. To fight this problem, they’re advocating for the recruitment and retention of skilled, educated, licensed dental professionals.1
In partnership with the ADA Well being Coverage Institute and different oral health-care organizations, the ADHA printed a 2022 report that recognized numerous elements prompting dental hygienists go away the career (excluding pandemic and retirement-related causes).
Outcomes cited insufficient advantages, unresponsive compensation, poor communication, lack {of professional} success, and damaging office tradition as main roadblocks stopping long-term retention.3
To alleviate office dissatisfaction, the ADHA plans so as to add further entry-level dental hygiene packages and improve the capability for present entry-level dental hygiene packages nationwide. They’re additionally engaged on a brand new chairside recruitment program designed to increase the dental hygiene workforce.3
ADA’s response to ADHA issues
In response to the ADHA’s letter, Kessler assured Haley-Hitz that the ADA is “dedicated to the best requirements of schooling and affected person security in dentistry,” happening to say that: “Our aim is to seek out sensible and accountable options to fill important staffing gaps with certified, well-trained people—with out compromising on the requirements that our sufferers deserve.”2
References
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ADHA points place statements on dental hygiene schooling and addressing workforce shortages. American Dental Hygienists’ Affiliation. December 2024. https://www.adha.org/newsroom/positions-on-education-workforce/
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Anderson O. New ADA insurance policies empower states to alleviate dental workforce scarcity. ADA Information. November 15, 2024. https://adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2024/november/new-ada-policies-empower-states-to-alleviate-dental-workforce-shortage/
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ADHA positions & papers. American Dental Hygienists’ Affiliation. 2024. https://www.adha.org/advocacy/adha_positions_papers/
