New ADHA White Paper Supplies Insight, Information on Changes Taking Place in Dental Hygiene Education

New ADHA White Paper Supplies Insight, Information on Changes

Taking Place in Dental Hygiene Education

ADHA’s “Transforming Dental Hygiene Education and the Profession for the 21st Century” showcases

the evolution of the dental hygiene profession, the need to enhance and refocus the dental hygiene

curriculum to help address the public’s changing health care needs — and the critical role dental

hygienists have in providing care within an increasingly integrated health care system.

Chicago (Sept. 22, 2015) — Beginning Sept. 24, 2015, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association will be

sharing a landmark white paper, “Transforming Dental Hygiene Education and the Profession for the

21st Century,” with the oral health and health care communities, allied stakeholders and others

committed to improving the public’s oral and overall health. The white paper, which is being distributed

with the support of Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc., makers of LISTERINE^®, details how the

outcomes from the September 2013 “Transforming Dental Hygiene Education, Proud Past, UnlimitedFuture” symposium helped shape the vision for the future of the dental hygiene profession — and how

that vision is being brought to fruition through changes taking place both in the educational system, and

in the larger framework of the overall health care system.

“This white paper highlights the vast transformation taking place in oral health and provides evidence

that changes are needed to improve health outcomes for the public,” said ADHA President Jill Rethman,

RDH, BA. “Today’s dental hygiene graduates must be prepared to collaborate in an increasingly

interprofessional health care environment. This document illustrates the need for not only a

transformed dental hygiene curriculum, but a transformed oral health care system that puts the patient

first and optimizes the preventive and therapeutic services dental hygienists can provide.”

Issues related to the changes needed in dental hygiene education are explored throughout the white

paper, and those issues highlight the importance of changing dental hygiene education and transforming

the way graduates are prepared for the future. This paper discusses how by improving the curricula and

supplying dental hygiene students with a broad-based, well-rounded education that challenges them to

think critically, future dental hygienists will be better equipped to serve the public’s overall health and

wellness needs.

The public’s oral health care needs are becoming more diverse and more complex. The scientific

evidence supporting the role of oral health care services in achieving and maintaining oral and overall

health continues to evolve. These facts put dental hygiene educators on the front line, preparing the

next generation of dental hygienists to enter a health care environment that is radically different from

just a few years ago. According to ADHA Chief Executive Officer Ann Battrell, MSDH, “By developing and

instituting a new educational curriculum, grounded in science and with an interprofessional focus on

contemporary delivery strategies, we can go a long way to improving access to care for the public and

advancing the dental hygiene profession.”

The document is intended to facilitate dialogue among a variety of interested stakeholder groups and

continue to look for ways to advance dental hygiene curriculum for the benefit of the public.

“The American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s innovative research agenda, commitment to

transforming the dental hygienist profession and positively impacting public health care aligns with the

LISTERINE^® brand’s dedication to oral care,” said Larry Page, Director of U.S. Marketing for the

LISTERINE^® Brand, “We’re proud to support the evolution of dental hygiene education. This work

reflects the important need to prepare students for the increasing demands of a dental hygienist.”

The white paper is being distributed in conjunction with the ADHA’s Access magazine, which readers will

begin receiving on Sept. 24, 2015. For more information about the ADHA’s “Transforming Dental

Hygiene Education and the Profession for the 21st Century” white paper, or to find out how you may

receive a digital copy of the document, please contact ADHA director of communications John Iwanski at

johni@adha.net or by calling 312/440-8900.

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