Demand Study for Advanced Dental Hygiene Educational Degrees Part 1: Assessing the Clinical Changes of Our Population Annelise Ydstebo Driscoll, MBA, PhD; Myron Fottler, PhD; Aaron Liberman, PhD; Louise Pitts, EdD; Thomas T. H. Wan, PhD, MHS The debate over the addition of the midlevel provider position for dental hygienists currently rages on. The midlevel provider (similar to the physician’s assistant) in dentistry exists in a handful of states but is hotly contested in many other states. This is a 2-part study to add to the current body of knowledge by addressing the changing clinical needs in our population and the associated demand study for additional educational degrees for dental hygienists to address these changing needs. Part 1 addresses a literature update on oral health and systemic correlations contributing to our populations’ declining health conditions, whereas part 2 illustrates the results of the demand study. Key words: chronic conditions, dental education, dental hygiene, periodontal disease P RIOR TO BEGINNING the subject demand study, a literature review was conducted to address evolutions in health conditions and their link to oral health. This update provides the foundation for illustrating the need for ad- vancing education programs. It may also be helpful in the potential planning of program design and educational content within the dental education field. EXAMPLE OF NEED FOR ADVANCED TRAINING Many studies, particularly those undertaken during the recent 2 decades, reveal growing relationships between periodontal disease (gum disease) and systemic illnesses. A sam- pling of these studies is presented in this re- view. Some studies show correlations, whereas others show causality. The important point to illustrate, in evaluating the needs for more advanced training, skill levels, and education for dental hygienists, is that studies have shown the strong influence the condition of periodontal disease has on many of the chronic conditions that are burdening our health care system and contributing to poorer outcomes overall for our populations. This connection is, in part, owing to the fact, as many research studies have now proven, that oral inflammation and oral bacteria are not simply limited to oral health but rather to systemic health. 1 Therefore, it is becoming more and more apparent that treating peri- odontal disease is not only the treatment of oral The Health Care Manager Volume 30, Number 1, pp. 15–22 Copyright # 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Author Affiliations: Dental Services, Department of Health Management Informatics, Department of Health Professions (Dr Driscoll), PhD Program (Dr Wan), and Interim Department (Dr Liberman), College of Health and Public Affairs (Dr Fottler), University of Central Florida, Orlando; Health Sciences, Valencia Community College (Dr Pitts). Correspondence: Annelise Ydstebo Driscoll, MBA, PhD, College of Health and Public Affairs, Department of Health Management Informatics, Department of Health Professions, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-3333 (adriscol@mail.ucf.edu). DOI: 10.1097/HCM.0b013e3182078aa4 15 Copyright @ 201 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 1