Identifying core competencies for community oral health practice among dental hygienists: a scoping review

Community oral health practice increasingly requires dental hygienists to perform prevention-oriented, population-based, and interprofessional roles beyond traditional chairside clinical care. However, existing competency frameworks primarily emphasize clinical practice or general professional competencies, and an integrated competency framework specifically designed for community oral health practice remains unavailable. This study aimed to identify core competencies for community oral health practice among dental hygienists through a scoping review.

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Literature published between 2005 and 2025 was identified through PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and targeted searches of official organizational websites. Following predefined eligibility criteria, 38 sources were synthesized across three analytical layers: (1) seven cross-professional competency frameworks represented by 12 source documents, (2) five national or regional dental hygiene competency frameworks represented by nine source documents, and (3) 17 community oral health practice literature sources. Competency domains were identified through iterative qualitative coding and retained when supported by convergent evidence across at least two of the three analytical layers.

Eight integrated competency domains were identified: Health Equity Practice (based on social determinants of health, SDOH); Population-Based Program Planning, Implementation & Evaluation; Professionalism & Social Responsibility; Policy & Health System Literacy; Community Problem-Solving; Interprofessional Collaboration & Leadership; Evidence-Based Practice & Data Literacy; and Cultural Competence & Public Communication. The resulting framework integrates competencies derived from international healthcare professional frameworks, national dental hygiene competency frameworks, and community oral health practice literature, reflecting the expanding public health role of dental hygienists.

This study proposes an integrated competency framework for community oral health practice that may support competency-based curriculum development, workforce preparation, and professional development for dental hygienists. The framework provides a structured foundation for strengthening prevention-focused community oral health practice and may be adapted and validated across diverse educational, sociocultural, and healthcare settings.