Darby, Michele L.

Kass, Susan H.

Kracher, Connie L.

Nunn, Trisha

Stewart, Linda S.

Symington, Don R.

Westphal, Cheryl

English

Old Dominion University

Old Dominion UniversityODU Digital CommonsDental Hygiene Faculty Publications Dental Hygiene2008New Words to Promote Communication andCollaboration Among the Oral Health Care TeamTrisha NunnMichele L. DarbyOld Dominion UniversitySusan H. KassConnie L. KracherLinda S. StewartSee next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/dentalhygiene_fac_pubsPart of the Dental Public Health and Education CommonsThis Letter to the Editor is brought to you for free and open access by the Dental Hygiene at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusionin Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@odu.edu.Repository CitationNunn, Trisha; Darby, Michele L.; Kass, Susan H.; Kracher, Connie L.; Stewart, Linda S.; Symington, Don R.; and Westphal, Cheryl,"New Words to Promote Communication and Collaboration Among the Oral Health Care Team" (2008). Dental Hygiene FacultyPublications. 1.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/dentalhygiene_fac_pubs/1Original Publication CitationNunn, T., Darby, M. L., Kass, S. H., Kracher, C. L., Nunn, T. J., Stewart, L. S., . . . Westphal, C. (2008). New words to promotecommunication and collaboration among the oral health care team. Journal of Dental Education, 72(6), 641-642.AuthorsTrisha Nunn, Michele L. Darby, Susan H. Kass, Connie L. Kracher, Linda S. Stewart, Don R. Symington, andCheryl WestphalThis letter to the editor is available at ODU Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/dentalhygiene_fac_pubs/1June 2008 ■ Journal of Dental Education 641Letter to the EditorNew Words to Promote Communication  and Collaboration Among the Oral Health Care TeamDear Dr. Alvares:Clichés abound about the power of words. Spoken words, the result of air passing over con-tracted laryngeal muscles producing sound waves, are far from harmless. How we interpret the words we hear or choose the words we speak or write is the result of our experiences, beliefs, biases, values, culture, gender, and emotions. Each word we use is an opportunity for promoting understanding or mis-understanding. Instantaneously, the words we choose influence how others will act or react.Members of the oral health care team have a history of antagonistic encounters with each other. Much of that history has been created by an emotion-ally charged vocabulary that often prohibits produc-tive discussions of important health care issues. Even though the players, the conditions, and the challenges continue to change, our charged words are a barrier preventing us from collaborating to solve today’s health care challenges.The allied dental program directors who at-tended the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Summit on Allied Dental Education, June 10–13, 2006, agreed that language affects the vision for allied dental education, and the need to use a common language more in line with moving the debate forward became apparent. Since language is used to frame any debate, current trends and think-ing must be communicated to stimulate meaning-ful dialog on the proposed vision for allied dental education. ADEA, allied dental education faculty and program directors, and key partners have the opportunity to influence the language that we use. Just as ADEA has assumed leadership in promoting diversity and access to oral health care and helped to shape issues with skillful use of language, so too should ADEA become a leader in changing the language framing the future of allied dental education. We are sometimes our own worst enemies when we use words to describe ourselves, our services, or our profession in less than empowering terms. Consider the image imparted by asking our patients or clients to come in for just a “prophy” or a simple cleaning or “scaling” rather than “initial care” or “preventive oral health care” or “nonsurgical peri-odontal care.” The terms “prophy” and “cleaning” do not present the full range of dental hygiene preventive skills or the level of care that the service will provide for the patient. Likewise, we tend to speak of “deep cleaning” rather than “nonsurgical periodontal care”; of “checking the patient” as opposed to “evaluating outcomes of care”; of “plate, cap, or bridge” instead of “denture, crown, or prosthetic appliance”; etc. Even among our own colleagues, we many times fail to distinguish the differences in educa-tion, certification, and licensure within the office structure. Primary members of the dental team are the dentist, dental assistant, dental hygienist, and dental laboratory technician. In the past, some have referred to the dental team as the dentist and the den-tal “auxiliaries” or even the dentist and the “girls,” since the majority of allied dental personnel tend to be female. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “auxiliary” as one who offers or provides help or functions in a subsidiary capacity. In today’s modern dental practice, that is hardly the case. It seems the use of the term “auxiliary” has waned from most of our language, but it is still used occasionally among dentists and even among dental hygienists. And the use of “girls” to represent the dental hygienists and assistants in a dental practice is just plain sexist. We have come much further in gender and racial equality than this reference would suggest. The use of the word “girl” has no place in discussions of co-therapy, collaborative practice, sharing professional responsibility, evidence-based decision making, or 642 Journal of Dental Education ■ Volume 72, Number 6the new potential for allied dental health profession-als. Furthermore, with the career opportunities that allied dental professionals have available to explore today, the term no longer fits. It is time we and others started referring to allied dental personnel by their professional designations. You want other examples? We tend to refer to our “job” instead of our “career” or “profession.” We speak to students and fellow faculty members about “training” rather than “accredited education.” We talk about “expanded duties or functions” rather than “expanded scope of practice.” Before we reach out to others in dentistry and health care, we need to clean up our own language act, so to speak. How do we want the rest of the world to view the profes-sions of dental assisting, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology? Do we want to be based in an “occupational model” or a “professional model”?So how do we change the language of the debate to create opportunities for more productive discussions among the communities of interest? Developing a whole new professional language would be quite a task and is certainly not necessary. However, increasing awareness and understanding of how one professional perceives another might be a sensible approach. So here we take the first step: identifying phrases and words that trigger negativity, serve as barriers to clear communication, and hinder honest collaboration, and then offering potential alternative terms and phrases. In Table 1, we have identified on the left side some emotionally charged, old school words and phrases that should be retired from our professional language; on the right side of the table, appropriate substitutions are offered. What other emotionally charged words can you add to this list? Challenge your colleagues, fellow practitioners and educa-tors, and students alike to reflect on the language that you and others use. It could be an enlightening experience. The table provides examples of words that don’t necessarily reflect the best image of an oral health professional. Email other thoughts about professional language to newlanguage@adea.org.Trisha Nunn, R.D.H., M.S.Dean/DirectorUtah College of Dental Hygiene1176 S1480Orem, UT 84057801-426-8234 phone801-224-5437 faxtnunn@ucdh.eduADEA Council of Allied Dental Program Directors’ Task Force on Collaboration, Innovation, and Differentiation Michele L. Darby, R.D.H., M.S.Old Dominion UniversitySusan H. Kass, R.D.H., Ed.D.Miami Dade CollegeConnie L. Kracher, M.S.D., Ph.D.Indiana University–Purdue University, Fort WayneTrisha J. Nunn, R.D.H., M.S.Utah College of Dental HygieneLinda S. Stewart, M.S.University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDon R. Symington, C.D.T.Indian River Community CollegeCheryl Westphal, R.D.H., M.S.New York University Table 1. Old school words and phrases that should be retired and some  appropriate substitutions	 Old	School	 New	Schoolprophy,	cleaning,	scaling	 initial	care,	preventive	oral	health	caredeep	cleaning	 nonsurgical	periodontal	carechecking	the	patient	 evaluating	outcomes	of	careplate,	cap,	bridge	 denture,	crown,	prosthetic	appliancedental	auxiliaries	 allied	dental	personnel	(dental	assistant,				 dental	hygienist,	dental	laboratory	technician)dentist	and	the	girls	 oral	health	care	teamdental	family	 oral	health	care	teamgirl	 professional	title	(care	coordinator,	dental			 assistant,	dental	hygienist,	dental	laboratory			 technician,	etc.)job	 career,	professiontraining	 accredited	educationexpanded	duties,	functions	 expanded	scope	of	practice	functions,	duties	 service,	therapies,	procedures,	responsibilitiespermitted,	allowed	 within	scope	of	practicerecall	 recare,	continued	care,	periodontal			 maintenance	carefillings	 restorationsnovocaine	 anesthesiaroutine	care	 individualized	carehome	care	 self-carex-ray	 radiographsupervised	practice	 collaborative	practicedental	health	 oral	healthlevels	of	supervision	 levels	of	collaborationpolish	 selective	extrinsic	stain	removal

New Words to Promote Communication and Collaboration Among the Oral Health Care Team

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New Words to Promote Communication and Collaboration Among the Oral Health Care Team

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