Dental hygiene graduates report persistent low confidence in policy use, research use, and advocacy relative to high confidence in clinical domains¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across ten included studies, gaps were noted in research use, policy engagement, and advocacy, with graduates reporting low confidence in these areas. → Asraf Suadah Ismail 2026

Evidence¶

Asraf Suadah Ismail 2026¶

Asraf Suadah Ismail, Sethi Ahsan, Ali Kamran. (2026). Preparedness of Dental Hygiene Students for Clinical Practice: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Dental Hygiene. https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.70076

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative synthesis of a scoping review of ten primary studies (2012–2023) using qualitative and quantitative methods. The review reports that "Gaps were noted in research use, policy engagement, and advocacy," while graduates reported high confidence in clinical skills.

"Gaps were noted in research use, policy engagement, and advocacy, with graduates reporting low confidence in these areas."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Baccalaureate dental hygiene programs provide broader preparation than diploma/associate programs, though both lack sufficient applied learning experiences — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Dental hygiene programs lack adequate preparation of students for care of older adults in alternative practice settings — related
• In Sunell et al.'s confidence surveys, graduating students showed high confidence in clinical therapy and collaboration but very low confidence in policy use and advocacy — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Dental hygiene graduates are strong in foundational clinical skills but need more exposure to complex clinical cases during education — related
• Independent-practice dental hygienists identify educational gaps in public health knowledge, business management, and communication skills — related