Singer J L, Cohen L, LaBelle A
J Public Health Dent. 1986 Spring;46(2):86-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1986.tb03113.x.
The dental hygienist's role in the treatment of special populations in nontraditional settings is an important one. Little is known about the hygienist's practice characteristics in these settings, nor about the patients receiving care. To gain needed information, a representative sample of the entire population of licensed hygienists in the United States was screened (n = 38,380). This screening identified 1,205 hygienists practicing in nontraditional settings. These hygienists were sent comprehensive questionnaires examining practice and patient characteristics. Completed questionnaires were returned by 1,016 (84.3%) hygienists. This report describes reported hygiene practice characteristics; hygienist interactions with patients and providers; and patient characteristics, including age, medical/emotional/social conditions, and dental treatment needs. Major findings of respondents' reports reveal that: approximately 90 percent of patients were in need of dental/dental hygiene services with approximately one in four requiring only dental hygiene services; the dental hygienists perceived a high level of acceptance of their role by patients and providers; the majority of patients treated were categorized as generally medically healthy (65.7%); and the clinical practice of dental hygiene in nontraditional settings mirrors that of private practice.
牙科保健员在非传统环境中对特殊人群的治疗中所起的作用至关重要。对于这些环境中保健员的执业特点以及接受护理的患者情况，我们知之甚少。为获取所需信息，我们对美国所有持牌保健员进行了抽样筛选（样本量n = 38,380）。此次筛选确定了1205名在非传统环境中执业的保健员。我们向这些保健员发放了综合问卷，以调查其执业情况和患者特征。1016名（84.3%）保健员返回了填写完整的问卷。本报告描述了所报告的保健工作执业特点、保健员与患者及医疗服务提供者的互动情况，以及患者特征，包括年龄、医疗/情绪/社会状况和牙科治疗需求。受访者报告的主要发现显示：约90%的患者需要牙科/口腔卫生服务，其中约四分之一仅需要口腔卫生服务；牙科保健员认为患者和医疗服务提供者对其角色的接受度很高；接受治疗的大多数患者被归类为总体健康状况良好（65.7%）；非传统环境中的口腔卫生临床实践与私人执业的情况相似。
