Factors Influencing Dental Hygienists' Membership in Professional Associations

Membership with professional organizations, including the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA), plays an important role in supporting dental hygienists through continuing education, networking, advocacy, and professional identity development. Despite these established benefits, membership rates in professional associations remain low. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the trends influencing membership decisions among licensed dental hygienists to inform the design of a larger, more representative national investigation. A cross-sectional electronic survey was pilot tested for content validity and distributed to dental hygienists in four states using convenience sampling. Participants provided demographic information, current membership status in any professional organizations (including the ADHA), and perceptions of benefits and barriers to engagement. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze initial trends. Among the respondents (n=250), 25% reported current ADHA membership; most identified advocacy (82%), access to continuing education (76%), and networking (61%) as meaningful benefits of belonging to a professional organization. In contrast, non-members cited high costs of membership (52%), lack of employer reimbursement (38%), and time constraints (12%) as primary barriers. Non-members were significantly younger (p<0.001) and graduated more recently (p<0.001) than members. Individuals with higher educational attainment were more likely to maintain membership in a professional organization (p<0.001). Open-ended responses revealed varied perceptions of organizational relevance, accessibility, and visibility. These preliminary findings highlight key factors that may shape engagement with professional organizations, including the ADHA. The results underscore the need for expanded sampling, strengthened early-career exposure, and further qualitative exploration. Findings from this pilot will guide the development of a larger national study aimed at understanding and improving professional organization membership among dental hygienists.