Review Article
Marina Harris, Kenneth A. Eato
Abstract
The aim of this discussion paper is to appraise readers of the development of the profession of dental hygienist around the world and to detail the growing contribution of dental hygienists to research. It explains the rationale for educating and employing dental hygienists and details their numbers in Europe, Japan, North America and South Korea. It goes on to describe the trend to more academic education for dental hygienists in many countries due in part to the need for all dental hygienists to understand research methodology and to be able to appraise critically the research on which their practice is based. It then analyses the 40 “best†abstracts submitted to the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene in 2010. It discusses the reasons why dental hygienists are not employed in some countries. It concludes that: Growing numbers of dental hygienists are being employed in a growing number of countries around the world. Their education is increasingly leads to a Bachelor’s degree. The importance of an understanding of research methodology and the acquisition of critical appraisal skills during dental hygiene training has been recognised by many schools of dental hygiene. A number of dental hygienists are performing research, often in areas related to general as well as oral health, and are publishing in international peer-reviewed journals.