559 Standards of Care: Why Dental Hygiene Must Own Its Professional Framework

JoAnn Gurenlian joins Jessica and Dave for a practical conversation about the purpose, evolution, and everyday importance of the Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice.

From understanding the difference between standards of care and scope of practice to applying professional standards in real-world clinical situations, this episode explores how standards can help dental hygienists strengthen clinical judgment, documentation, ethical decision-making, and patient outcomes.

What We Talked About

The purpose and evolution of the Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice

Why standards of care matter for every dental hygienist, regardless of practice setting

Common misconceptions about standards and scope of practice

How standards support clinical judgment, documentation, and patient outcomes

The relationship between standards, ethics, and professional accountability

How educators can help students move beyond memorization to implementation

Practical ways clinicians can incorporate the standards into everyday patient care

The future of standards and what dental hygienists need to understand moving forward

Call to Action