A comparison between hospital dentistry curricula for dental hygiene students and a projected alternative curriculum model developed by selected dental hygiene experts: A model for the future
Abstract
Dental hygiene educators have the responsibility to prepare students to function in alternative practice settings. Course content in hospital dentistry for dental hygiene students is included in dental hygiene programs throughout the country, but there currently is no nationally accepted set of curriculum guidelines. The data from this research provided a basis for comparing the present status of hospital dental curricula with the alternative curriculum model designed by selected experts. In developing an alternative model for the future, three sub-problems were identified: There was a need to (1) assess the current status of hospital dentistry curricula taught in dental hygiene programs, (2) combine the best features from the selected experts' curricula in the field into an alternative model, and (3) compare the current status in the schools to the ideal model. A survey was developed and sent to the dental hygiene program directors of accredited dental hygiene schools in the United States; another survey was designed and sent to selected dental hygiene experts. The results of the surveys are presented by way of four sections. Section I responds to research questions regarding the setting, size, region, type of the dental hygiene program, and the academic discipline of the faculty in relationship to the hospital dentistry curriculum. Section II displays the results of the surveys received from the dental hygiene schools. Section III presents data received from the three hospital dentistry experts. Section IV contains a comparison of the curriculum models developed from data presented by the dental hygiene schools and the experts' model. There were several conclusions as a result of this study. More than one-third of the schools with hospital dentistry programs for dental hygiene students were in the community or technical college setting. One-third of the programs were located in the Northeastern Regional Board area. It was determined that 57 percent of the hospital dentistry programs are offered at the Associate's Degree level. Dentists constituted 57 percent of the teachers, whereas 67 percent of the course coordinators were dental hygienists. The course content, which composed the alternative curriculum model, constituted a total of 22 essential and critical topics chosen by the dental hygiene schools and dental hygiene experts.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching|Dental care|Health education
Recommended Citation
Eva J. Muldrow Morris,
"A comparison between hospital dentistry curricula for dental hygiene students and a projected alternative curriculum model developed by selected dental hygiene experts: A model for the future"
(1987).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9023939.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9023939