Abstract
The study investigated dental hygienists’ scope of services and level of satisfaction as well as their awareness and support to the existing and proposed oral health workforce models: expanded function dental auxiliary (EFDA), dental therapist (DT), and advanced dental hygiene practitioner (ADHP). The study sample consisted of all 676 dental hygienists from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Data were collected by a self-administered mail questionnaire that assessed hygienists’ scope of services, levels of satisfaction with the services, and their awareness as well as support for workforce models; the last two were assessed on a scale of 1–10. The effective response rate to the survey was 26 %. Respondents’ average ratings for the knowledge levels for DT, ADHP, and EFDA were as follows: 2.8 ± 2.6, 4.0 ± 3.4, and 8.1 ± 2.6. Hygienists were most supportive of the EFDAs (7.7 ± 2.9), followed by ADHP (7.0 ± 3.4), and DT (4.0 ± 3.4). Findings indicate a need to improve respondents’ awareness of the dental therapist position.
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