Last July, the American Dental Hygiene Association released a whitepaper entitled, “Dental Hygiene Self-Governance: An Ethical and Economic Imperative.”
The white paper advocates for the following:
- Creation of an independent dental hygiene board
- The report recommends removing dentists from regulatory authority and establishing a hygiene‑only board to oversee licensure, discipline, scope, and standards.
- Separation of dental and dental hygiene practice acts
- The paper proposes dividing the statutory framework so hygienists define their own scope without dentist involvement.
- Expansion of hygienist authority to diagnose and manage care independently
- The report calls for recognition of “dental hygiene diagnosis,” independent care planning, and potentially ordering or interpreting diagnostics.
- Replacement of dentist supervision with competency‑based collaboration
- The recommendation is to eliminate supervision requirements and shift to collaborative models.
- Direct reimbursement and independent hygiene‑led practice settings
- The paper advocates allowing hygienists to bill directly, practice in more settings without dentist involvement, and operate preventive‑care businesses.
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