Journal of dental hygiene : JDH
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The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive demographic database of dental hygiene education administrators and to examine their academic professional profile. ⋯ These findings help develop a demographic database and professional academic profile of dental hygiene education administrators that can be used for future research and theory development, trends identification, problem solving, decision making, and policy formation. When compared to past studies, Caucasian females still dominate the profession. Also, dental hygiene faculty/administrators have increased in percentage of earned master's and doctoral degrees, and in advancement of academic rank to full professor. Furthermore, administrators are comparable to other full-time faculty in health-related programs and two-year institutions in regard to academic rank and highest degree earned. Thus, this population reflects individuals who can be considered highly dedicated and educationally prepared for their administrative role. However, compared to faculty across all disciplines in higher education, this population did not reflect advanced professional preparation or academic rank. It is recommended that dental hygiene administrators and faculty continue their scholarly endeavors to help advance the field to full professionalization and build academic legitimacy.