title: Expanded Scopes Of Practice For Dental Hygienists Associated With Improved Oral Health Outcomes For Adults.
abstract: Dental hygienists are important members of the oral health care team, providing preventive and prophylactic services and oral health education. However, scope-of-practice parameters in some states limit their ability to provide needed services effectively. In 2001 we developed the Dental Hygiene Professional Practice Index, a numerical tool to measure the state-level professional practice environment for dental hygienists. We used the index to score state-level scopes of practice in all fifty states and the District of Columbia in 2001 and 2014. The mean composite score on the index increased from 43.5 in 2001 to 57.6 in 2014, on a 100-point scale. We also analyzed the association of each state's composite score with an oral health outcome: tooth extractions among the adult population because of decay or disease. After we controlled for individual- and state-level factors, we found in multilevel modeling that more autonomous dental hygienist scope of practice had a positive and significant association with population oral health in both 2001 and 2014.
authors.affiliation: Margaret Langelier is project director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY).
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Langelier
authors.affiliation: Tracey Continelli is a research associate at the Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany, SUNY, and an assistant professor of nursing at The Sage Colleges, in Albany.
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Continelli
authors.affiliation: Jean Moore (jean.moore@health.ny.gov) is director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany, SUNY.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Bridget Baker is a senior research associate at the Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany, SUNY.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Simona Surdu is a senior research associate at the Center for Health Workforce Studies, University at Albany, SUNY.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surdu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003756:Dental Hygienists / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
keywords: Access To Care; Dental Hygienist (DHs); Oral Health Care; Scope of Practice