05/30/2025
This is a really important post
Friends and family ~ How important is your oral health and overall health to you?
There is a movement in dentistry you need to be aware of, specifically at this time in Nevada but chatter is happening in other states as well
It is the attempt to eliminate the education requirements and board exams ~ clinical and written, to become a licensed dental hygienist.
What’s proposed in Nevada and supported by the American Dental Association ~ anyone can be “trained on the job” to be a dental hygienist. If this passes, the oral and systemic health of Nevadans will be at risk, they will recieve substandard care at their dental hygiene appointments.
Other states - Arizona, Illinois, have passed legislation to “train” dental assistants to scale your teeth “above the gum line” ~ scaling only above the gum line leaves pathogenic/disease causing bacteria below your gum line, putting you at an increased risk for gum disease, cavities, and systemic diseases caused by chronic oral infections
🦷 Your current Registered and state licensed Dental Hygienists are required to recieve almost 3,000 hours of advanced education and two years of hands-on clinical education to then take a national written board exam and a clnical board exam, to show we have achieved excellence in scaling, probe readings, assesing your medical and dental health, head and neck exams/oral cancer screenings, and more…
And pass these exams ~ which were the standards set by the American Dental Association/ADA to become a licensed dental hygienist.
The ADA is now supporting the removal of these high educational and clinical standards for dental hygienists ~ read the letter for yourself
This puts you, the public at risk to recieve substandard care 😡
👀 Please look below at the courses your dental hygienists are currently required to take in an accredited dental hygiene program ~ at your dental hygiene appointment it may appear this is a simple or easy procedure ~ it is not ~ the foundation to perform all of the procedures we do as dental hygienists, to give you the public excellent care and treatment that appears ‘easy’, is achieved through our education.
👉🏻 Another critical piece in this movement… the ‘on the job trained hygienists’ will not have our extensive education in oral cancer, pathology, and oral cancer screening… we are already losing the battle against oral cancers ~
🦷 At your hygiene appointments, ask if you are receiving treatment by a licensed dental hygienist!
Dental hygienists complete a rigorous curriculum over two years not to mention the pre-requisites in human anatomy, chemistry etc that are competed prior to entering the program.
Such courses are:
English & Communication Courses
Gen Anatomy & Physiology
Intro to Biochemistry
Microbiology
Intro to Diversity Studies
Intro to Sociology
Psychology
Dental Health Safety
Oral Anatomy, Embryology, Histology
Radiography
4 semesters of instrumentation and patient care
Ethic and Professionalism
Periodontology
Cariology
Pharmacology
Nutrition and dental health
Oral Pathology
Dental Materials
Community Dental Health
Dental Anxiety and Pain Management (Local anesthetic and nitrous oxide)
Do you really want someone with on the job training to take care of your dental needs???!!!
Again, when you visit the dental office for a cleaning, ask if you are receiving treatment by a licensed dental hygienist and pass this along to help educate the public
