MEDIUMClinicalTier 2
The responsibility to evolve: The standard of care for dental hygiene should never be the ceiling
SourceRDH MagazineTier 2Clinical & Visual
By Kathryn Gilliam, BA, RDH, MAAOSH, HIAOMT
Originally at rdhmag.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
For dental practices, this reminder means hygiene departments cannot treat the current standard of care as the ceiling; instead, ongoing evidence-based upgrades affect patient outcomes, compliance risk, and competitive positioning for owners, associates, and staff.
Key points
- Hygiene care should serve as the foundation, not the final benchmark, for clinical protocols.
- Evidence-based practice and lifelong learning are positioned as tools to elevate hygiene standards beyond minimum compliance.
- Clinical curiosity is framed as the driver for continuous improvement in dental hygiene delivery.
- Failure to move past the baseline standard could limit practice quality and patient care expectations.
Who should care
OwnerAssociateStaff
Read the original on RDH Magazine
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