Dental Hygienist

Career Path

A loud whining noise engulfs the room as I recline the black leather seat back for the first patient of the day. As I adjust the light on the operation chair, my patient asks if I can turn on something relaxing to comfort him during his examination. I accept his request and turn to my right hand side and grab the television remote. I switch it on and head straight for the netflix application. I click on one of the dental office classics, a nature documentary. Once the show is up and running my patient lays back with his eyes closed and mouth open, I then begin the examination process. As I am examining him, I start to think back to how it all began. I remember being a young 18 year old adult scouring the internet in search of a career. Not just any old white collar job where I sit behind a desk and look at a computer all day but a career that's centered around my love for both learning and developing different skills and science as a whole. To think how far I’ve come from that moment to now performing examinations, cleanings, X-rays and assessing patients in a real dental office. Everything I’ve done previously has led to this moment, all of my hard work, my studying, my accomplishments, and my failures as well. This has allowed me to develop into a successful dental hygienist along with being able to provide for myself and my family. Slowly, the sound of the dull narrator from the nature documentary and the whining of the scaler begin to fade out and I find myself snapping back into reality. I open my eyes and find myself sitting in front of my computer with an empty document patiently waiting to be filled with words. As I begin to type, again, drift off into the thought of me in the future working as a professional dental hygienist I can’t help but to let out a smile because in the future, I strive to become a professional dental hygienist who can play an important role in the community. In my opinion, dental hygienists perform a key function in maintaining the well-being of people, as he contributes to the prevention of the development of various dental diseases. It is also important that, as a future professional, I will be actively involved in expanding the community knowledge of the necessary daily oral hygiene. Dental hygienists are often viewed by the public as less important than dentists, orthodontists, or surgeons. However, I am sure that this profession is the basis of dental practice, as it deals with the prevention of diseases.
Research summary / application  image
According to the findings of the current one-piece study, the manner in which the dental hygienist engages with the patient sets the stage for further dialogue. It has a direct influence on the patient's perspective on the personal hygiene of the mouth cavity, as well as the number of times they check into the hospital. It became clear that dental hygienists are responsible for educating patients about the rules for sustaining the health of their oral cavities and teeth. This is because not everyone is aware of the correct way to clean their teeth, so this responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of dental hygienists. It is essential to keep in mind that dental hygienists operate in conjunction with surgeons and physicians, and that the obstacles that exist in their communication are detrimental to the health of the public. In addition to the results that were discussed earlier, a number of concerns with the working practice have been uncovered. One of these key concerns that significantly limits the field of practice is the lack of essential life-saving devices.

As a result of my research, I now have a different perspective on a number of facets of oral hygiene. In particular, I have realized that raising knowledge and awareness both within and across different healthcare professions is required to bring about a reduction in the existing inequities in oral health. A better understanding of oral health care and the provision of preventive dental treatments by practitioners other than dentists is a direct result of having knowledge. In addition, I now believe that the communication strategy utilized by dental hygienists and other professionals is an essential component in the process of bringing about change. As a future dental hygienist, I now assert that communication should take a more open-minded approach. I have become aware of the necessity of educating the community as well as the requirement of promoting advocacy for better health outcomes. Gaining an edge in the job market entails acquiring certain knowledge and abilities. Because of the ongoing changes in the healthcare system, oral health care services will likely be provided differently in 2040 (Fried et al. 45). Oral health care will ultimately become a more integrated aspect of medical treatment in order to attain the goals of decreased cost, increased access, and higher quality and to enhance population wellness. In light of my findings, I have determined that there are a number of skills I need to develop in order to compete as a specialist. Case management, supervision, and the ability to create and stick to a budget are all examples of the kinds of leadership and management abilities that are necessary for providing these services. In the future, I hope to be culturally competent and aware of the inequalities in how communities stratified by socioeconomic status, race, gender, and age are treated relative to individuals. The scope of my responsibilities will expand as I join larger group practices and learn to embrace the field of dental care.
My research / What do they do? image
Dental hygienists are responsible for promoting healthy dental care habits among various populations. Dental hygienists are also     constantly involved in research and improvement of the techniques used in the profession. In particular, the range of research interests of professionals in the field of dental hygiene are extremely wide. As a future specialist in this field, I also strive to contribute to the expansion of the knowledge of dental hygienists. In my opinion, these specialists can play a key role in the prevention of many serious diseases. To achieve this, not only effective methods of diagnosis and treatment are required, but also active communication with community members. People need to know more about the importance of dental hygiene and the role it can play in preventing oral and other diseases.
My mission  image
My mission as a dental hygienist is not only to work within a clinical setting, but to actively promote everyday hygiene techniques in the Community.
Research proposal  image
The research proposal is to investigate the relationship that exists between poor dental hygiene and the occurrence of cancer. Researchers are currently looking at a variety of factors including alcohol use, tobacco smoking and other bad habits and their impact on the occurrence of oral cancer. Poor oral hygiene is one of the most significant contributing factors to the development of this disease. However, there is a limited amount of research that focuses on the development of methods to prevent the development of the disease. In In particular, little attention is paid to the development of a strategy for educating the population and members of the community about this problem. As part of the study, I would like to see which population groups are most affected by this problem and how it is associated with poor dental hygiene. Based on the data obtained, I would like to make recommendations that could be applied by professional dental hygienists to increase community awareness of cancer prevention measures due to poor oral hygiene. This line of research is extremely significant because it uses theoretical knowledge to develop practical recommendations that can later be applied by professionals. Increasing public awareness of the possible negative consequences of dental hygiene can greatly contribute to the prevention of cancer. In turn, this aspect can result in a decrease in the number of cancer patients and a reduction in the resources needed for their treatment. The research hypothesis is that members of the most disadvantaged communities are most likely to develop oral cancer due to poor oral hygiene.

conclusion  image
It is imperative that influential thought leaders within the profession, advocates from other health professions, as well as consumer and academic organizations, work together to educate the public on the significance of dental hygienists' duties in relation to oral health. More health outcomes might be seen in populations who have more limited access to medical treatment if the general populace were to become better informed about the significance of maintaining good oral health. The research produced a hypothesis that can be implemented and assessed by dental hygienists in a variety of practice settings. This will help dental hygienists better understand how to enhance and
maintain excellent oral health outcomes in vulnerable demographic groups.
Article Links 
https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12276.                                        
https://doi.org/10.21815/jde.017.032.
https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12436
Youtube Video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeAtDfCQ0J4​​​

                                                                         
Hamasaki, Tomoko et al. “Association Between Dentist-Dental Hygienist Communication and Dental Treatment Outcomes.” Health Communication, vol. 32, no. 3, 2017, pp. 288-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1138376
Jongbloed-Zoet, Corrie. “The Role of the Dental Hygienist in Promoting Oral Health.” International Journal of Dental Hygiene, vol. 18, no. 2, 2020, p. 127. https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12436
Luebbers, Jessica et al. “Physicians' Perceptions of the Role of the Dental Hygienist in Interprofessional Collaboration: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Interprofessional Care vol. 35, no. 1, 2021, pp. 132-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2020.1711715
Smereka, Jacek et al. “Medical Emergencies in Dental Hygienists' Practice.” Medicine, vol. 98, no. 30, 2019, p. e16613.
Farmer, J, et al. “Exploring the role of the dental hygienist in reducing oral health disparities in Canada: A qualitative study.” International Journal of Dental Hygiene, vol. 16, no. 2, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12276.
Fried, Jacquelyn L., et al. “Preparing the future dental hygiene workforce: Knowledge, skills, and reform.” Journal of Dental Education, vol. 81, no. 9, 2017, https://doi.org/10.21815/jde.017.032.
Jongbloed-Zoet, Corrie. “The role of the dental hygienist in promoting oral health.” International Journal of Dental Hygiene, vol. 18, no. 2, 2020, p. 127. https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12436
Bercasio, Laurie V., Dorothy J. Rowe, and Alfa-Ibrahim Yansane. "Factors associated with burnout among dental hygienists in California." American Dental Hygienists' Association 94.6, 2020, pp. 40-48.
Gurenlian, JoAnn R., et al. "Employment patterns of dental hygienists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic." American Dental Hygienists' Association 95.1, 2021, pp. 17-24.
Ohara, Yuki, et al. "Job attractiveness and job satisfaction of dental hygienists: from Japanese dental hygienists’ survey 2019." International journal of environmental research and public health 18.2, 2021, p. 755.
Reinders, J. J., Krijnen, W. P., Onclin, P., van der Schans, C. P., & Stegenga, B. “Attitudes among dentists and dental hygienists towards extended scope and independent practice of dental hygienists.” International Dental Journal, 2017, pp. 46-58.
Shacham, Maayan, et al. "COVID-19 factors and psychological factors associated with elevated psychological distress among dentists and dental hygienists in Israel." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17.8, 2020, p. 2900.
Image Credit
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/dental-hygienists-surprising-facts
https://www.meridian.edu/oral-hygiene-education-a-dental-assistants-guide/
https://www.coursera.org/articles/dental-hygienist
https://www.westervilledental.com/will-teeth-cleaning-remove-stains/
https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-dentist-ted-galbraith-oral-care-during-pandemic







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