A Shift in Perspective
Dental hygienists have predominantly been women, inevitably shaping that career to their goals and interests - and their perspective on patient care. More and more, dentistry is realizing the substantive contributions of hygienists. The hygiene team is now recognized as essential to a thriving practice. Hygienists are often the catalyst to bring advanced technologies, infection control updates, and products into the clinical setting. Additionally, hygienists who are philanthropic or entrepreneurial are mapping out unique careers and even new ways of practicing.
This month, our sister publication, Inside Dentistry, focuses on the transformational gender shift happening on the dentist side. In 2018, for the first time, more female than male students enrolled as first-year dental students in the United States. If that trend continues as expected, within a decade the number of women practicing dentistry will outnumber men. There are already signs that the next generation of dentists is more concerned about quality of life and work/life balance, which promises to change the culture and practice organization of the dental profession long term. These exciting shifts will most likely help dental hygienists continue to thrive in their evolving careers. For more about the impact of women in dentistry, check out the full article at aegisdentalnetwork.com/go/idh-WID.
As you'll see, our current issue provides powerful examples of how the hygiene profession is taking on the challenges of oral (and total) healthcare. From new models for geriatric dentistry to the details of practice efficiency, hygienists are taking on additional responsibilities. At the same time, they're expanding their knowledge into wider areas, as evidenced by our feature and continuing education articles on critical emerging topics in oral health.
Inside Dental Hygieneis experiencing its own shift in 2020. This year, we're bringing you more print issues, social media, videos, newsletters, and other ways for you to engage in the major topics of today. Please take a moment to check out idh.cdeworld.com to see what is happening, subscribe to our newsletter, and let us know what you think.
