Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner - Article Example

THE MELODY. JULY 25, 2006 ADVANCED DENTAL HYGEINE PRACTITIONER (ADHP) Advanced dental hygiene practitioner is the need of the hour for increased availability of oral healthcare for the citizens of the United States of America. In our efforts to improve the availability of oral healthcare to all the citizens of the United States of America, the suggestion for employing Advanced Dental Health Practitioners (ADHPs) has come up. The need for toning up the efficiency of delivery of oral health care has come from no lesser person than the Surgeon General of the United States of America, in the Surgeon General’s Report of 2000 on Oral Health. Many of the citizens of the United States of America, particularly those living in the rural areas, or those that are socially and -economically backward find that the oral healthcare services available to them are inefficient, and where available beyond their means to avail of them. It is against this backdrop that the suggestion for creating and employing ADHPs has arisen to make available cost effective oral healthcare in the rural areas and among the socially and economically backward. (1) In this memo it is my intention to evaluate the utility of ADHPs in eliminating or reducing the deficiency of oral healthcare delivery to many people across the United States of America. For this purpose the memo intends to look at the current status of the delivery of oral healthcare in the United States of America, the role that could be played by ADHPs, models employed in medical healthcare delivery that are applicable to the delivery of oral healthcare, the advantages that employment of ADHPs would bring, the educational and skill development requirements of the ADHPs, and the perspective of the authorities on the use of ADHPs. Discussion: The Advanced Dental Health Practitioner (ADHP), has been found to be useful suggestion to remove the anomalies in the delivery of oral healthcare, as it has been found to be a viable solution for the vexing problem of inefficient delivery of oral healthcare on an equitable basis across the United States of America. Oral health care has become more important with the findings of research that periodontal disease is a risk factor for several diseases like diabetes, low weight and premature babies, heart and lung diseases, and various other systemic diseases. These findings have prompted the Surgeon General’s 2000 report to consider the untreated oral health as a “silent X-factor promoting the onset of life-threatening diseases which are responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans each year”. In addition to this routine oral health examination promote the early identification of diseases like diabetes, osteoporosis and low bone mass, eating disorders, and HIV. These factors make it abundantly clear that oral healthcare cannot be treated in isolation, as it is a significant component of the total healthcare of the citizens of the United State of America, and as such becomes a right of the people. Despite this the alarming fact is that almost forty percent of the population of the United States of America is deprived of this key component of total healthcare. The two constant factors seen in this lack of delivery of oral healthcare are the lack of availability of oral health services in the proximity of several communities, and the inability to pay, where these services are available. It becomes clear then that the current state of delivery of oral healthcare is highly deficient, with a very large portion of the citizens of the United States of America being deprived of oral health services, which is a key component to the maintenance of their total health. (2). Reach and costs are the two main reasons for non-delivery of oral health services to the many, who are currently deprived. There is a shortage of dentists in the country and there is no way that then unhappy situation with reach is going to change for the better with the available dentists around the country. There are more than 1, 20, 000 dental hygienists available in the country. These dental hygienists provide a means to address the lack of availability of dental health services. They are already playing an advanced role in their assistance to dentists by initiating anesthetic procedures prior to dental treatments, and providing restorative work in some states, where they are authorized to do so. . Providing them with the required knowledge and skills and assigning them a clear cut role in providing oral health services is the means to alleviate the suffering of those that lack adequate oral health services due to unavailability of it. This advanced role for the dental hygienists is what is envisaged in the term Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP). The services of the ADHD would come at lower costs to the care receiver and thereby reducing the impact of inability to bear the costs of oral health services by those that are socially and economically backward. The role of the ADHP needs to be clearly demarcated so as not to cross boundaries with the other oral healthcare professionals, as this would lead to resistance to change of the existing system, and lack of cooperation from the other oral healthcare professionals to the ADHPs. Providing preventive services, and basic restorative work by the ADHPs, particularly to communities that do not have access to oral health services, or cannot afford the service of a dentist would not infringe upon the role of the other oral healthcare professionals. (1). Examination of the advanced nursing practice model suggests that the ADHP is practical solution to the ills that plague the oral health care delivery system. Three factors were responsible for the evolution of the advanced nursing practice model. These factors are changes in healthcare delivery, financial constraints and consumer demands. These are the same three factors that exist in oral healthcare system too. (3). There were the initial problems of role development and acceptance from the other healthcare professionals for this enhanced role for the nursing professional. Providing adequate knowledge and skills, and providing a clear role removed these hurdles from the advancement of the nursing professional. (4). The criteria for the advanced nurse practitioner included that the education level be more than that of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and the role of the advanced nurse practitioner was founded on the knowledge and skills of the public health nurse. The advanced nurse practitioner was successful in providing a more cost-efficient, more easily accessible and reliable healthcare service to the sick and needy and thereby contributed to the success of the advanced nursing practice model. The advanced nursing practitioner has advanced further than was envisaged at the start and has started to play a role even in life threatening situations, demonstrating that role advancement is a definite possibility in the delivery of healthcare especially when there is demand for such services from the requirement of the care receiver. (1). The advanced nursing practice model is suggestive of additional benefits that are likely to accrue from the ADHP model. The advanced nursing practitioner has released the physician from performing of mundane tasks, and allowing the physician to concentrate on more challenging tasks in the pursuit of providing better treatment to care receiver. In a similar manner the ADHPs would function as a supportive factor to the dentists, enabling them to concentrate on then more technically challenging aspects of oral healthcare, leaving the ADHPs to perform the lesser technically challenging tasks of prevention and basic restorative work. However for cooperation to exist the dentist must feel confident in the supportive role provided by the ADHPs. This confidence can be expected in case adequate qualifications in knowledge, and skill training are made mandatory for the ADHDs before they can start performing their role. (5). For the ADHP concept to become a reality support from the administration is required, and this has been forthcoming. The Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill of 2006 has earmarked a sum of $11,753,000 towards the Allied Health and Other Disciplines Program. The Committee on Appropriations displays awareness of the adverse effects of dental diseases on the vulnerable segments of the population. It recommends the use of new methods to make available oral health services to those that are currently not able to access these services. To this end the Committee suggests that the HRSA seriously consider the development of ADHPs, and also lays down the parameters for qualifications and role of the ADHP. The suggested educational qualifications are an educational curriculum beyond that of a graduate in dental hygiene, to enable the ADHP to make available diagnostic, preventive, restorative, and therapeutic services directly to those segments of population currently not receiving adequate oral health services in rural and underserved areas. This bill has just received the assent of President Bush. Thus administrative support is available for the ADHP model to become a reality. (6). Recommendations: This memo recommends that the ADHP model be brought into place at the earliest possible to remove the inadequacies in the delivery of oral health services to all segments of society. The educational qualifications, and role to be played by the ADHPs are clearly described by the Appropriations Committee, and these need to be followed. Administrative authorities are making adequate funds available for the training and development of dental hygienists to become ADHPs, and therefore the infrastructure and facilities for the training and development of dental hygienists need to be brought into place the earliest. The requirement for greater availability of oral healthcare for the people in the United States of America is a reality. The ADHPs are capable of filling the shortage of availability of dentists, especially in the rural areas, and for the economically and socially backward classes of people. Therefore advanced dental hygiene practitioners are the need of the hour for increased availability of oral healthcare for the citizens of the United States of America. Works Cited 1. “Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner Frequently Asked Questions”. ADHA. 25 July 2006. . 2. “Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner Fact Sheet”. ADHA. 25 July 2006. . 3. Furlong, E. “Advanced nursing practice: policy, education and role development”. Journal of clinical nursing 14.9 (2005): 1059-1066. 4. Turner, C. “Nurse practitioners: a contract for change and excellence in nursing”. Collegian 9.4 (2002): 18-23. 5. Carr, J., Bethea, J., & Hancock, B. “The attitudes of GPs towards the nurse-practitioner role”. British journal of community nursing. 6.9 (2001): 444-481. 6. “President Bush Signs Conference Report including ADHP Language”. ADHA News. 2006. 25 July 2006. . Read More