Job satisfaction and job content in Dutch dental hygienists

AbstractObjectivesThis study compares the scope of practice of Dutch dental hygienists (DHs) educated through a 2‐ or 3‐year curriculum (‘old‐style DHs’) with that of hygienists educated through a new extended 4‐year curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree (‘new‐style DHs’), with the aim to investigate whether an extended scope of practice positively affects perceived skill variety, autonomy and job satisfaction.MethodsThe questionnaires were obtained from old‐ and new‐style DHs (n = 413, response 38%; n = 219, response 59%, respectively), in which respondents had recorded their dental tasks, perceived skill variety, autonomy and job satisfaction. T ‐tests were used to analyse differences between old‐ and new‐style DHs, and regression analyses were performed to assess the relation between scope of practice and skill variety, autonomy and job satisfaction.ResultsNew‐style DHs have a more extended scope of practice compared with old‐style DHs. Despite their more complex jobs, which are theoretically related to higher job satisfaction, new‐style DHs perceive lower autonomy and job satisfaction (P < 0.05). Skill variety is the strongest predictor for DHs' job satisfaction (β = 0.462), followed by autonomy (β = 0.202) and caries decisive tasks, the last affecting job satisfaction negatively (β = −0.149). Self‐employment is the strongest significant predictor for autonomy (β = 0.272).ConclusionsThe core business of DHs remains the prevention and periodontology services. New‐style DHs combine these tasks with extended tasks in the caries field, which can lead to comparatively less job satisfaction, because of a lower experienced autonomy in performing these extended tasks.