ADHA Calls for Dental Hygiene Self-Governance to Expand Access to Preventive Care

Posted: August 18, 2026

Edited by Orthotown staff

Chicago—The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has released a white paper calling for greater self-governance of the dental hygiene profession to help expand access to preventive oral health care.

“Dental Hygiene Self-Governance: An Ethical and Economic Imperative” distinguishes self-governance from self-regulation and argues that regulatory authority should more closely reflect dental hygienists’ education, competence and accountability. The paper cites nursing and physical therapy as examples of professions that have expanded regulatory authority and patient access.

Recommendations include establishing independent dental hygiene regulatory bodies, separating dental and dental hygiene practice acts, aligning scope of practice with demonstrated competence, expanding direct reimbursement pathways and replacing mandatory supervision with collaborative practice models.

The paper presents the Dental Hygiene Modernization Act framework as a model that ties expanded authority to licensure, education, experience and continuing competence.

For more information, visit adha.org/whitepapers.

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