A global review of the education and career pathways of dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists

Abstract

Introduction With ongoing needs in oral healthcare being unmet, dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists have the potential to assume greater roles and responsibilities in the provision of care. This review provides a global overview of the education and career opportunities of these professions, contributing to the discussion on the future trajectories of all three professions. Methods A scoping review was conducted to collate and summarise the current available evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles, published reports and books, and websites of professional associations and government agencies. Results Of the 145 sources identified and reviewed, 53 were included in the qualitative synthesis. The themes were categorised into domains: 1) dental therapy; 2) dental hygiene; and 3) oral health therapy. Conclusion The results of this review indicated that, although there has been continuous advocacy for dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists to assume roles beyond the traditional clinical practice, the majority of the professionals still mainly practise as clinicians. Many dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists felt limited by their scope of practice and were dissatisfied with the lack of career pathways. Additional research is needed to examine the influences behind career development for all three professions.