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Applied scope of practice of oral health therapists, dental hygienists and dental therapists
Author(s) -
Teusner DN,
Amarase,
Satur J,
Chrisopoulos S,
Brennan DS
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
australian dental journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1834-7819
pISSN - 0045-0421
DOI - 10.1111/adj.12381
Subject(s) - scope of practice , workforce , scope (computer science) , oral health , medicine , dental practice , clinical practice , family medicine , dentistry , health care , computer science , political science , programming language , law
Abstract Background Oral health therapists ( OHT s) are an emerging workforce whose training incorporates the skills of dental hygienists ( DH s) and dental therapists ( DT s). There are concerns that OHT s are underutilized. This study compares the employment characteristics and applied practice scope of OHT s with those of DT s and DH s. Methods Members of two professional associations representing DH s, DT s and OHT s, were surveyed by mail. Data collected included demographic and employment characteristics and clinical activity on a typical practice day. Applied practice scope was described by calculating the proportion of practitioners that had provided ≥1 of a selected range of key services. Log binomial regression was used to compare OHT s to DT s and DH s. Results The response rate was 60.6% (n = 1083) and of these 90.9% were employed. Preventive services dominated service provision. The proportion of OHT s that provided fluoride applications (77%) was higher than the proportion of DT s (53%, p < 0.05), and was not significantly different from the proportion of DH s (70%). The proportion of OHT s that provided (48%) fissure sealants was lower than the proportion of DT s (70%) and substantially higher than the proportion of DH s (10%, p > 0.05). Conclusions Overall, the applied practice scope of OHT s appeared to differ from DT s and DH s.