Dental Health - British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy

clinicalDCP practice in theInternational contextSue BagnellIn the United Kingdom, the termdental care professionals (DCPs)collectively refers to dentalhygienists, dental therapists, dentalnurses, dental technicians, clinicaldental technicians, and orthodontictherapists 1 . All members of thedental team are accountable formeeting the needs of each patient,and each member has a clearlydefined role as outlined in the Scopeof Practice (2009) document 2 . Thispaper explores whether internationalcomparisons between DCP practicein the UK and in Canada couldcontribute to the evolution of DCPpractice within the UK. To lookinto this topic in depth, the paperwill focus on dental hygienists anddental therapists.Dental hygienists andtherapistsTo gain an understanding of therespective roles of the dental hygienistand dental therapist it is necessary toprovide definitions for each discipline.The International Federation ofDental Hygienists (2008) provides acomprehensive definition of a dentalhygienist:A dental hygienist is a healthprofessional and is graduated from arecognised school of dental hygiene,who, through clinical services,education, consultative planning andevaluation endeavours, seeks to preventoral disease, provides treatment forexisting disease and assists people inmaintaining an optimum level of oralhealth. Dental hygienists are healthprofessionals whose primary concern isthe promotion of total health throughthe prevention of disease. 3The Department of Health, SocialServices and Public Safety defines adental therapist as:A dental therapist works as part of adental team that provides clinical andeducational care for adults and childrenin the community, including thosewith special needs. Dental therapistscarry out a range of straightforwardtreatments, including simple fillingsor extractions. They also undertakea range of preventive procedures andprovide oral health advice 4 .Scope of practiceDental hygienists and dental therapistscould be considered to contribute to theprovision of oral healthcare. There area limited number of dental therapistspractising in Canada; the only trainingprogramme for dental therapy is inPrince Albert, Saskatchewan 5 . Thistraining programme is currently injeopardy as federal funding for theprogramme has been withdrawn 6 .to improve access todental care, dentalhygienists treatpatients without aprescription from adentistThe scope of practice of dentaltherapists in Canada includes:examining, diagnosing, developing,or modifying treatment plans;carrying out some restorations; andproviding urgent care for patientsin a dental emergency 5 . The scopeof practice for dental therapists inthe UK is comparable to that forCanada; however, dental therapy isnow offered in the UK as a combineddental hygiene/therapy curriculum inuniversities 5 .As opposed to the similarity injob scope for dental therapists in theUK and Canada, dental hygienists inCanada practise a broader scope ofduties than their UK counterparts 7 .In both countries, dental hygienistsassess patients, practise planning andpreventive care, and offer a variety oftherapeutic services. However, themajority of the UK training is nowfocussed on offering the combineddental hygiene/therapy curriculum 8 .Currently, 16 of the 20 dental hygieneprogrammes have moved to providingthe dual qualification 9 .Both countries have dedicatedassociations that act as a collectivevoice for the profession 8,10 Hygienistsand hygienist/therapists in Canadaand in the UK demonstrate theirprofessional commitment bycompleting continuing professionaldevelopment (CPD) to maintain theirskills and knowledge and stay up todate; this is regulated by the respectiveregulatory bodies in each country 10,11 .Both countries have specific criteriafor completion of CPD which could beconsidered comparable. In Canadacommitment to CPD fluctuatesbetween provinces but generally entailscompletion of between 45 and 75 hoursof CPD every three years 10 . In the UKcommitment to CPD entails completionof 150 hours of CPD every five years 11 .Completion of CPD and regulation ofprofessionals is essential to protectpatients’ safety and health 12 .Dental hygienists in the UK canbroaden their scope of practice bycarrying out extended duty courses fora variety of skills 9 . The additional skillsinclude; tooth whitening, prescribingradiographs, administering inhalation6 Dental Health Volume 51 No 6 of 6 November 2012