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Professionalism in dental hygiene: An investigation of knowledge of oral cancer and public policy.

dc.contributor.authorClovis, Joanne B.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-10-21T12:35:17Z
dc.date.available2000
dc.date.issued2000en_US
dc.identifier.otherAAINQ57355en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10222/55704
dc.descriptionIncreasing access to dental hygiene care in Canada is consistent with the health system reform goals of increasing access to health care and enhancing disease prevention and health promotion. Consonance between the professional practice of dental hygiene and the public policy which recognizes that status is a rational expectation. This study documented, analyzed and compared two aspects of dental hygiene professionalism: dental hygiene knowledge and its application in practice, and determinants of public policy. The conceptual framework of the study is Abbott's theory of a system of professions which emphasizes the foundation knowledge of professions in their practices and elaborates the relationships of professions with other professions, the public and the state. The framework was used to examine the knowledge and professional practice of dentistry and dental hygiene in a defined area, and the jurisdictional boundaries of the dental hygiene profession.en_US
dc.descriptionThe first phase of this investigation measured dental hygiene knowledge and its application in practice through a mail survey of dentists and dental hygienists. The topic of prevention and early detection of oral cancers was selected as representative of a significant oral disease and public health problem. Data were collected in two provinces representing different morbidity and mortality rates in oral cancer as well as different policies regulating dental hygiene. The second phase of the investigation explored and described the factors shaping politicolegal recognition of dental hygiene through analysis of policy documents and field interviews with key political and professional figures. The public interest in the benefits and accessibility of preventive services and public perceptions of dental hygiene are also important but were not assessed in this study. The research design, methodology, collective analyses of triangulated data, and interpretive findings reflect an interdisciplinary approach to research and, in particular, the investigation of complex social issues.en_US
dc.descriptionThe findings revealed that dental hygiene practice is formulated and interpreted by dental hygiene practitioners, dentists, policymakers, and members of the public. Although their practices were different, dental hygienists' knowledge regarding oral cancer was very similar to dentists' knowledge in two provinces, and both dentists and dental hygienists could benefit from additional education in this area. The influence of various determinants on the politicolegal recognition of dental hygiene in the two provinces were inconsistent. Political governing party policies, legislative opportunities, and opportunistic interest group activity were distinct in their influence; the effects of economics and gender were ambiguous.en_US
dc.descriptionIn this study the application of dental hygiene knowledge in practice is a measure of the strength of the workplace jurisdictional claim; the politicolegal status and determinants describe the legal jurisdictional claim. In the prevention and early detection of oral cancer, dental hygienists have demonstrated patterns of knowledge similar to dentists. The determinants of politicolegal recognition in this study reflect transition and a strengthening of the legal jurisdictional claim of dental hygiene which is expressed as self regulation and a movement towards independent practice. The advancement of dental hygiene in Canada as a primary care profession is confirmed by increasing politicolegal recognition and a developing knowledge and practice base in primary oral health care. This analysis of professional expertise and public policy provides a new perspective on professions in general, and dental hygiene in particular.en_US
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2000.en_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherDalhousie Universityen_US
dc.publisheren_US
dc.subjectHealth Sciences, Dentistry.en_US
dc.subjectHealth Sciences, Public Health.en_US
dc.subjectSociology, General.en_US
dc.subjectHealth Sciences, Health Care Management.en_US
dc.titleProfessionalism in dental hygiene: An investigation of knowledge of oral cancer and public policy.en_US
dc.typetexten_US
dc.contributor.degreePh.D.en_US
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