A qualitative study of males in the dental hygiene profession

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of males in the predominately female profession, dental hygiene. The researcher interviewed fourteen practicing male hygienists, focusing on their experiences before, during, and after dental hygiene school. Interview questions were used to guide the subject, however the participants were free to discuss other issues they deemed important. A semi-structured format offered the researcher the ability to follow leads which developed during the interviews. The interviews were tape-recorded with permission and transcribed for analysis.

Inductive analysis of the transcripts revealed one major theme, males are a high status minority in dental hygiene. The high status minority became evident from the comparison of the various themes which emerged under the categories of the questions. (I) Pre-Dental Hygiene: a lack of early influences for the profession, a desire to help others, a later start in school, and a positive reaction to interest in the profession; (II) During School: little perceived discrimination, and acceptance by peers and faculty; (III) After Graduation, as a Licensed Hygienist: no job search difficulties, societal gender stereotypes/discrimination, mixed feelings of acceptance by the profession, and career satisfaction. ,p>While most of the themes from this study support the high status of males in dental hygiene, some issues surfaced which need to be addressed or further researched. These include mixed feelings of acceptance by the profession and the presence of some discriminatory practices experienced by the participants.