Survey of dental hygienists in the hospital setting.

Little data exists on dental hygiene roles in areas other than private practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain demographic data on hospital-based dental hygienists and to describe their work characteristics, job responsibilities, and professional interactions. A two-page questionnaire was mailed to administrators or dental directors of hospitals with dental services (n = 3,282). A response rate of 54.5% was obtained from the initial and follow-up mailings. Of the responding hospitals, 594 sites included one or more dental hygienist(s) on staff. Large, federal (government) hospitals employed dental hygienists more frequently than any other hospital category. Respondents indicated that dental hygienists were included on the hospital staff because of their contributions to the delivery of care. Of the hospitals with dental hygienists on staff, the majority employed them on a full-time basis and offered them a variety of benefits. The majority of the dental hygienists' time was spent providing in-patient and out-patient care, followed by educational and administrative duties. Educational background and practice experience were not significant factors for the employment of dental hygienists in hospitals.