Kansas Extended Care Permit III Providers: A descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Dental Hygiene Practice Expansion

Background:

• Forty-two states have expanded dental hygienist roles to improve oral health access for underserved populations.
• Kansas introduced Extended Care Permit (ECP) I, II, and III designations to broaden dental hygienist services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the experiences of registered dental hygienists in Kansas holding ECP III certificates.
• To assess the utilization of ECP III-specific services by permit holders.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of a 2021 electronic survey sent to 88 Kansas dental hygienists with ECP III.
• Descriptive (frequency, percentages) and inferential (Fisher's Exact, Chi-Square) statistical analyses were performed.
• Evaluated associations between ECP III demographics, practice characteristics, and services provided.

Main Results:

• A 25% response rate (22 participants) was achieved; 77% were employed by Safety Net Clinics.
• School-based settings using portable equipment reported the highest ECP III service provision (68%).
• No significant associations were found between ECP III holder characteristics and the provision of ECP III-specific services.

Conclusions:

• A low percentage of ECP III permit holders are providing services specific to their permit.
• Potential barriers may hinder permit holders from fully utilizing their ECP III license and expanding dental hygiene services.