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Dr. Alfred Fones graduated the the New York College of Dentistry in 1890. That same year it was discovered that bacteria causes tooth decay. Most people came to Dr. Fones to get their rotten teeth pulled. Dr. Fones understood that the bacteria was causing tooth decay and if he could find a way to lessen the bacteria in the mouth then there would be less teeth he would have to pull.
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Dentists around the country also knew about this tooth decay causing bacteria. In order to combat this, an event called Odontocure was on the rise. During Odontocure, women would carry a orange wooden stick, pumice, and a flannel rag and walk around the neighborhood cleaning teeth. This event was too time consuming, and most women stopped doing this.
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The notion of Odontocure did not take off as well as they originally thought. Dr. Alfred Fones also had a different idea. His cousin, Irene Newman, worked chairside with him assisting in different procedures. He decided to train her on how to perform "dental prophylaxis", so that he could focus his time on restoring and extracting teeth, while she focused on cleaning. The idea that people would come get their teeth cleaned regularly was something no one had thought of before.
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The idea that people should get their teeth cleaned regularly led Dr. Fones to the idea of opening up a school. Along with his cousin, Irene Newman, together they taught the first class of "dental nurses", which Dr. Fones later changed to "dental hygienists". This school was based out of Bridgeport, CT in their basement clinic on Washington St. The first class graduated in 1914. The whole graduating class were employed in a school-based setting treating and educating children on oral health.
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The state of Connecticut was so impressed with the schooling techniques of Dr. Alfred Fones and his cousin, Irene Newman, that they awarded Irene with the first dental hygiene license. By 1920, six more states followed in their footsteps and licensed dental hygienists to practice.
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The American Dental Hygiene Association (ADHA) was established in 1923. Forty-six members were enrolled in the ADHA and allowed for the continuing education for dental hygienists around the country.
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By 1935, a highschool diploma was required in order to apply to be trained in dental hygiene.
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In 1940, the ADHA referred to this career as becoming a "Registered Dental Hygienist". This same year, to obtain this license, a person was required to have a two-year course of study.
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Dr. Clayton Gracey developed the Gracey curettes in 1945. These currettes are used to clean with during dental prophylaxis. The first ultrasonic scaler, as well as, the first fully reclining dental chairs were introduced by the 1950s.
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The Civil Rights Act was a huge equality movement in the 1950s and 1960s. This movement also influenced the dental hygiene industry. The ADHA lifted it's restrictions for admissions - including race, color and gender.
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Dr. Esther Wilkins, who was not yet a doctor, wrote the first Dental Hygiene textbook,Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, in 1960. She was born in 1916 and passed away in 2016, at the age of 100. She was a dental hygienist, dentist, and author in her lifetime. The textbook she has written has over ten editions, and is still used in schools to this day, thus its nickname "the dental hygiene bible".
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By 1964, "female" was deleted from the ADHA Constitution. Jack Orio became the first male dental hygiene graduate in 1965. Allowing males to become dental hygienists, opened up opportunities for military environments to preform dental prophylaxis, as well.
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The ADHA created the first regional board exam in 1968. This board was required in order to obtain licensure. Since then, states have adopted their own requirements for licensing, in addition to taking a National Written Board examination.
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Washington became the first state to allow for dental hygienists to practice without direct supervision of a dentist in specific settings. These laws still vary by state and practice terms to this day.
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AIDS/HIV was first discovered in 1981, and some people thought that they could contract this from the dental office. In 1985, OSHA recommended PPE. In 1988, OSHA mandated gloves, masks and ey protection to practice dentistry in addition to making changes to sterilization requirements. Before this, there was no gloves, glasses or masks in sight at a dental clinic.
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In the 1990's, fourteen states elected to allow Registered Dental Hygienists to administer local anesthesia. By 2000, more than half of the fifty states allowed Registered Dental Hygienists to administer local anesthesia. Unfortunately, there are still some states that do not allow their hygienists to administer - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.
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In 1994, lasers therapy was used by dentists to assist in procedures such as soft tissue removal, bacterial removal, extractions, and even to improve comfort levels. By 2005, Registered Dental Hygienists began using lasers for soft tissue manipulations. Certification courses and testing are required in order for dental hygienists to use this type of therapy. Laws vary by state, in whether dental hygienists can be certified in laser usage.
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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental hygiene programs were shut down. This resulted in board, licensure, and graduation postponements. Before this, state testing required scaling and polishing of a live patient. Because of aerosol concerns, live patient exams were cancelled and clinical board exams moved to Manikin/typodont (fake mouth) simulation examinations. Because COVID-19 is still rampant, the ADA/ADHA is continuing the simulation examinations.
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