Dental hygiene education exceeds the degrees granted: A pilot study

OBJECTIVE: Despite expansion of the scope of practice and clinical responsibilities of dental hygienists since 1945, the degrees granted for dental hygiene remain the same. The majority of dental hygienists complete 4 or even 5 years of college to receive an associate's degree while a few earn a baccalaureate degree. The aim of this study was to determine whether an associate's degree appropriately matches the current level of dental hygiene education. METHODOLOGY: This retrospective, analytical pilot study compared contact hours required for dental hygiene programmes in 1945 and three community college dental hygiene programmes and one university programme in Arizona currently. Comparisons were made to determine the relationship between contact hours and credits granted today and how these credit levels relate to the degrees conferred. RESULTS: Today, an associate's degree requires 60 credits. Descriptive statistics revealed that 2-year dental hygienists in 1945 completed the equivalent of 112 contact hours compared to 157 contact hours for associate degree dental hygienists today, a difference of 45 contact hours. Bachelor degree dental hygienists complete 170 contact hours, a difference of 13 contact hours more than associate degree dental hygienists today. This pilot study is limited by the small sample size of dental hygiene programmes included. Further studies are needed that include a broad diversity of dental hygiene programmes. CONCLUSION: Dental hygiene education has grown and expanded significantly since 1945, surpassing the requirements for a 2-year associate's degree.