The American Dental Hygienists’ Association has published a white paper arguing that dental hygienists should have self-governance, not just self-regulation.
The profession’s current model allows for partial oversight but not enough authority to ensure access to preventive care, according to an Aug. 18 news release from the ADHA.
According to the white paper, scope-of-practice restrictions on hygienists raise the price of basic preventive services by about 12%, and greater hygienist autonomy is associated with more preventive visits and fewer restorative needs.
Source: Dental hygienists need self-governance to expand access to care, ADHA argues / Becker’s Dental