The economics of dental hygiene work in traditional and nontraditional settings

The information presented in this paper was obtained as part of an ongoing longitudinal study of 1982 dental hygiene graduates. This portion of the study was contracted by the American Dental Hygienists' Association and provides information about method and amount of remuneration, fringe benefits, pay increases, and amount of money generated from dental hygienists' services. Data presented here were collected at two points in time: September 1985 and September 1986. The September 1985 survey was returned by 850 dental hygienists (83%) and the September 1986 survey was completed by 766 subjects (77%). Data were analyzed for clinical dental hygienists working in traditional and nontraditional settings. Results showed that most dental hygienists were salaried (80% traditional, 100% nontraditional) with a 1985 mean annual income of $19,160 for traditional and $17,197 for nontraditional hygienists. The mean daily wage in 1986 was $106.27 for traditional and $85.12 for nontraditional hygienists. Nontraditional hygienists were more likely to have received a pay increase in the previous six months and to receive fringe benefits than were traditional hygienists. Wages earned and money generated from dental hygiene services varied greatly. On the average, hygienists' wages constituted about one-third of the fees their services generated.