Establishing dental hygiene education in Germany: current facts and future perspectives.

Abstract

As there is a marked need to increase the number of dental hygienists (DHs) working in German dental practices, efforts are being made to establish dental hygiene education in accordance with international standards. However, as current German legislation does not envisage a perennial full-time training programme, dental hygiene education may currently be provided within a modular concept only. The basic qualification for enrollment in a modular hygienist training programme of this kind is accredited vocational training as a dental assistant (DA), followed by board-certified continuing education as an oral prophylaxis assistant. Thus, the current system of advanced training for qualification as a DH is subject to at least 6 years' work experience in the field of dentistry. A 950-h full-time advanced training course, meeting all the requirements of this concept, was established by the Westphalia-Lippe Dental Association in cooperation with the University of Münster. The curriculum underlying this programme was outlined considering the recommendations for dental hygiene education issued by the European Federation of Periodontology, although reduced in standards to comply with current German legislation. In addition, the recommendations for American Dental Hygiene education by the American Dental Association were used as a guide for programme development. The contents and implementation of the Münster Dental Hygienist Curriculum may allow the professional competence generated during practical work experience to be linked with international requirements of dental hygiene education.