Working to a Full Scope of Practice in General Dental Practice. A Mixed Methods Study Presenting the Results of a British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy Member Survey.

Abstract

Introduction: Anecdotally, it is currently accepted that many dental hygienists and dental therapists in the UK do not work consistently, if at all, to their full scope of practice, as determined by the General Dental Council and in line with their pre-registration training and post-qualification continuing professional development.

Aim: Consider the professional demographics of the BSDHT and investigate the types of clinical skills that are being utilised in a particular setting, in addition to the members' usual daily practice, how consistently they are employing them, and any potential barriers and facilitators for working consistently to a full scope of practice.

Method: BSDHT members (n = 2487) were invited to complete an online questionnaire and take part in an individual 30-min semi-structured online interview with the investigator. The quantitative data was collected on a master Excel spreadsheet, and qualitative data following the interviews were available as digital recordings and AI transcripts.

Results: The response rate was 12.5% (n = 312), of which 64% (n = 200) were dental hygienists and 36% (n = 112) dental therapists: 70% (n = 19) of the dental hygienists who work in an NHS practice never work to their full scope, in comparison to 48% (n = 9) of dental therapists. Of those that would like to work to their full scope, 51% (n = 103) were dental hygienists and 31% (n = 35) were dental therapists. Of the 312 members who responded to the questionnaire, 24.7% (n = 77) indicated that they would be willing to take part in the online semi-structured interviews.

Conclusion: The skills of dental hygienists and dental therapists are often underutilised across all dental practice settings. However, dental therapists are more likely than dental hygienists to work to their full scope of practice in both NHS and mixed dental practice settings. Further studies are needed to investigate and understand the barriers that prevent all dental hygienists and dental therapists from working to their full scope of practice and identify possible facilitators that could offer greater opportunities.