Forging New Pathways
Dental Hygienists' Role in Advancing the Oral Healthcare Knowledge Base
Saturday, February 8th, 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM (EST), hosted virtually on Zoom events
Course Description
Dental hygiene research is integral to expanding the healthcare knowledge base, serving as the foundation for evidence-based practice and continuous improvement in the field. Research areas can span clinical care, education, population health promotion, disease prevention, technology, and workforce issues.
Dental hygienists play a fundamental role in advancing the profession through scientific inquiry, evidence, and clinical practice. This program seeks to support the dissemination of original research conducted and authored by dental hygienists while inspiring others to consider a pathway in research.
Meet Our Presenters
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Andrea Webster | RDH, BSDH, MOL
“Dental Leadership and the Dental Workforce Shortage”
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Jacqueline Cohen, MS,CRDH
“Microaggression Towards Dental Hygienist Minorities”
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Summer McMenamin, RDH MS FADHA
“Delaware's Oral Health Revolution”
In this session, we will focus on workforce and access to care issues, including:
The impact of racial and ethnic microaggressions in the dental workplace and their effects on health-related quality of life.
Approaches to tackling workforce shortages, with a special emphasis on leadership styles and their influence on worker wellbeing and retention.
How empowering dental hygienists through expanded access to care can transform the oral healthcare landscape and improve patient outcomes.
By exploring these research topics, the session will highlight how dental hygienists are driving meaningful change in these critical areas, ensuring better access to care and enhancing workforce diversity and satisfaction.
