Career barriers and breakthroughs: navigating skill mix and progression for academic dental therapists and dental hygienists
17 May 2025
Enhanced CPD Theatre
B

Learning Content
Dental hygienists and dental therapists are vital to oral healthcare, yet their academic pathways lag behind other dental professions. Investing in their academic progression is crucial to support advanced practice, research and leadership, enabling them to become future scholars & academic leaders
- To explore the skill mix in relation to the dental hygienist and dental therapist
- To understand the role of the academic dental hygienist and dental therapist
- To develop an appreciation of the professionalisation of the dental hygienist and dental therapist as dental occupations
- Be able to explore the career barriers faced by dental hygienist and dental therapists in academia and beyond
Aims
This presentation discusses integrating dental hygienists and therapists into higher academia structures, supporting their professional development by fostering debate on academic pathways and encouraging early-career progression into research and teaching, to help shape future leaders in oral healthcare