Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Discussion Paper. Dental Hygienists and Dental Research: A Developing Scene

Marina Harris, Kenneth A. Eaton

The aim of this discussion paper is to appraise readers of the development of the profession of dental hygienist around the world and to detail the growing contribution of dental hygienists to research. It explains the rationale for educating and employing dental hygienists and details their numbers in Europe, Japan, North America and South Korea. It goes on to describe the trend to more academic education for dental hygienists in many countries due in part to the need for all dental hygienists to understand research methodology and to be able to appraise critically the research on which their practice is based. It then analyses the 40