Journal article
Applied scope of practice of oral health therapists, dental hygienists and dental therapists
DN Teusner, N Amarasena, J Satur, S Chrisopoulos, DS Brennan
Australian Dental Journal | Published : 2016
DOI: 10.1111/adj.12381
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oral health therapists (OHTs) are an emerging workforce whose training incorporates the skills of dental hygienists (DHs) and dental therapists (DTs). There are concerns that OHTs are underutilized. This study compares the employment characteristics and applied practice scope of OHTs with those of DTs and DHs.METHODS: Members of two professional associations representing DHs, DTs and OHTs, 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 r..
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Awarded by NHMRC Centres for Research Excellence grant
Funding Acknowledgements
Authors wish to acknowledge the DHAA and ADOHTA for the provision of mailing lists and the promotion of the study, and Sue Gardner and Clinton Kempster for their assistance with conducting the pilot survey and the development of the questionnaire. The authors would also like to thank research assistant Nikkita Dodds, who was responsible for mail management and data entry and the participating practitioners for their time and contribution. This study was financially supported by a NHMRC Centres for Research Excellence grant (1031310) The contents are solely the responsibility of the administering institution and authors, and do not reflect the views of the NHMRC.