Special Edition

April 20, 2007

ADHA Responds to Parade

As many of you may already be aware Parade magazine ran an article over the weekend of April 14-15, titled “How Did You Do?” by Lynn Brenner, in which it stated that there is no college degree required to be a dental hygienist. We received a number of e-mails and phone calls alerting us to the inaccuracy. Outlined below are the steps that ADHA staff took in response to this item.

On Monday, April 16, the Communications division worked in conjunction with ADHA President Marge Green to submit a correction to the magazine which read:

April 16, 2007

Correction
Parade

In response to the April 15, article “How Did you Do?” by Lynn Brenner, I would like to offer a correction. Beneath the heading which reads “The Hottest Jobs (No College Degree Required)” dental hygienist is listed. To become a dental hygienist one must obtain, at the minimum, an associate degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Upon the completion of this coursework, a potential hygienist must then pass the written national, as well as regional or state clinical board exams to be licensed to practice in the state in which they practice. Beyond an associate degree, there are a number of universities which offer a bachelor’s or master’s degree in dental hygiene.

As president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association I felt it my duty to offer this correction which I feel is pertinent to the accurate telling of this story.

Thank you for your consideration,

Margaret Lappan Green, RDH, MS
President
American Dental Hygienists’ Association
444 N. Michigan Ave. Suite # 3400
Chicago, IL 60611
312/440-8900”

Shortly after the correction was submitted, Parade magazine posted an Editor’s Note above and below the online version of the same story which reads:

“EDITOR’S NOTE: We apologize for the error in the “The Hottest Jobs (No College Degree Required)” box. The copy should have read “personal trainers” not “athletic trainers”. We also regret any misunderstanding that may have been caused by the inclusion of registered nurses and dental hygienists in the box. While non-college diploma and certificate programs do exist for these occupations, the majority of RNs and dental hygienists have college degrees and additional levels of training. We appreciate your bringing these matters to our attention.”

You can view the full online article at:
http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_04-15-2007/WPE_lead

While the information published in Parade was technically correct—there are two certificate-only dental hygiene programs in the U.S.—it was encouraging to see the magazine taking the initial steps to correct the information. In order for dental hygiene programs to maintain accreditation through the Commission on Dental Accreditation, in a two-year college setting, graduates must be awarded an associate degree. In a four-year college or university, graduates must be awarded an associate degree, certificate, or baccalaureate degree.

Staff, as well as ADHA leadership, felt that because less than one percent of the accredited dental hygiene education programs in the United States offer a certificate, that the article and the editor’s note were still grossly misleading, requiring further action on behalf of its constituents. On Wednesday, April 18, Colleen Schmidt, Director of Education, Jeff Mitchell, Director of Communications, and Nicholas Olsen, Manager of Public Relations and Marketing participated in a conference call with Dakila Divina, Managing Editor of Parade magazine.

ADHA staff explained to Mr. Divina the extent to which the information was misleading to the public and stressed the importance of dental hygiene education as a matter of public safety as dental hygienists are formally-educated and licensed health care providers. He offered his sincerest apologies for the misrepresentation and is investigating the possibility of a printed correction to the story. Though we cannot guarantee that a correction will be printed in an upcoming issue of Parade, ADHA staff will continue to monitor the situation.

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