Survey of ethnicity and academic preparation of faculty in dental hygiene programs

The purpose of this study was to determine numbers of minority faculty in dental hygiene programs and to examine the academic preparation of faculty members who are dental hygienists.

A survey of ethnicity and academic preparation of full- and part-time faculty was sent to directors of all accredited U.S. dental hygiene programs in November 1991. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) categories and definitions were used for ethnic minorities. Professional minorities were defined as male dental hygienists and female dentists. Survey data were analyzed using chi-square and ANOVA for unequal cell frequencies.

One hundred twenty-six (62%) of the 203 surveys were returned. Only 41 (32%) of the programs reported one or more ethnic minorities among the full- or part-time faculty. Of the 1,025 dental hygienists employed full- or part-time as faculty, there were 59 ethnic minorities and 10 males. The majority of the dental hygiene programs that had dentists as full- or part-time faculty employed white male dentists. The most common minority among dentists was white female. Most dental hygiene program director respondents (66%) reported no minority faculty in their programs. Of the dental hygiene programs that did have minority faculty, most had only one member of one minority group. No significant differences in educational preparation were found between ethnic minority and white dental hygiene faculty. Significant differences in academic preparation of dental hygiene faculty were found among programs in different educational settings and, for full-time faculty, by degree awarded program graduates.

The limited numbers of minority faculty in dental hygiene programs restricts the number of dental hygiene students who have access to minorities as professional role models. To increase cultural diversity in dental hygiene education, efforts are needed to recruit more minority students and to encourage them to pursue advanced degrees for careers as dental hygiene educators.