Applied scope of practice of oral health therapists, dental hygienists and dental therapists

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.