ADHA Access July 2012 : Page 10

No Matter How You Say It, Swear Each Year: The Dental Hygiene Oath or The Dental Hygiene Pledge By Winnie Furnari, RDH, MS, FAADH o you remember taking the Dental Hygiene Oath? Was it at your pin-ning, capping or graduation ceremony? Do you remem-ber what you vowed? It is fitting that on this 100th anniversary of dental hygiene we revisit those very special words so many of us uttered this year, last year or many years ago. Recording the history of our oath can be credited to past president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 1966-’68, Wilma Motley, RDH, who chronicled the ADHA his-tory from 1923 to 1982 in her book published in 1986. Unfor-tunately, some small gaps have surfaced. Motley reports that the first Code of Ethics was adopted in 1926. She also tells us that in 1939, the ADHA Creed was written by Margaret Miller, but that creed is not reproduced in her book. Motley has also documented that Dr. Frank Lamons helped draft an oath for dental hygienists. It was revised and adopted by the ADHA House of Delegates and made part of the Code of Ethics in 1948. The ADHA Board of Trustees suggested that it be used in graduation exercises and by state societies in the installa-tion of members. 1 D n W here as ages ago in their quest for supernatural aid, the Greeks swore by Aesculapius, son of Apollo, God of Health, and by Hygeia, Goddess of Health; and whereas the Romans in the Christian era placed themselves under the protection of Apollonia, whose help as Dentistry’s patron saint they besought, so now, do I—humbly acknowledging my human limitations in accepting this cap, a symbol of my profession—solemnly swear to render health service to those who seek my ministrations, hereby enjoining upon myself the sacred duty of teaching the public, particularly children and young people, by precept, lecture, and every other available means, and further bind myself by future study, to broaden my knowledge that I may share with others such information in my special field as will tend toward the ideal of dental health as sought by Dr. Alfred C. Fones, the founder of the profession of Dental Hy -giene. With this pledge inviolate, may in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, it be granted me to enrich my life in the practice of my art, thus to worship God in the service of mankind. Figure 1. Traditional oath (capping). 1958 Forsyth Yearbook n W here as ages ago in their quest for super-{ It is fitting that on this 100th anniversary of dental hygiene we revisit those very special words so many of us uttered this year, last year or many years ago. One of the first oaths found published was recorded in 1958 and Patricia Ramsay, AS, RDH, tells us it can be found in the 1958 yearbook of Forsyth (Figure 1). We cannot be certain if this was the same one from 1939. It makes refer-ence to accepting a “cap”; obviously, it was recited during a “capping” ceremony. If you visit the ADHA website, you will find another version that is similar but modified from the 1958 Forsyth version. This makes reference to receiving a parchment from an alma mater (Figure 2). Furthermore, there is a contemporary version of the oath (Figure 3). References to God, Dr. Fones and dentistry’s patron saint, Apollonia, are no longer there. This change represents evolution in that the oath is no longer an oath as defined: oaths are formal statements or promises usually made to a deity and/or refer to an entity held sacred. Vows are really special oaths that also hold a deity as a witness natural aid, the Greeks swore by Aesculapius, son of Apollo, god of health, and by Hygeia, goddess of health; and whereas, the Romans in the Christian era placed themselves under the protection of Apollonia, whose help as Dentistry’s patron saint, they besought, so now, do I—humbly acknowledging my human limitations—in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, solemnly swear to render health service to those who seek my ministrations, hereby enjoining upon myself the sacred duty of teaching the public, particularly children and young people, by precept, lecture, and every other available means, and further bind myself by future study, to broaden my knowledge that I may share with others such information in my special field as will tend toward the ideal of dental health as sought by Dr. Alfred C. Fones, the founder of the profession of Dental Hy -giene. With this pledge inviolate, may in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, it be granted me to enrich my life in the practice of my art, thus to worship God in the service of mankind. Figure 2. Traditional oath (graduation). www.adha.org/aboutadha/dhoath.htm. and recipient of the promise. 2 The contemporary “oath” has actually been transformed to an affirmation and a pledge. It is concise, professional and straightforward, and should be called our “pledge” to be accurate. 10 JUL 2012 access

Special 100th Anniversary Feature

Winnie Furnari

The Dental Hygiene Oath or The Dental Hygiene Pledge Do you remember taking the Dental Hygiene Oath? Was it at your pinning, capping or graduation ceremony? Do you remember what you vowed? It is fitting that on this 100th anniversary of dental hygiene we revisit those very special words so many of us uttered this year, last year or many years ago. Recording the history of our oath can be credited to past president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 1966-’68, Wilma Motley, RDH, who chronicled the ADHA history from 1923 to 1982 in her book published in 1986. Unfortunately, some small gaps have surfaced. Motley reports that the first Code of Ethics was adopted in 1926. She also tells us that in 1939, the ADHA Creed was written by Margaret Miller, but that creed is not reproduced in her book. Motley has also documented that Dr. Frank Lamons helped draft an oath for dental hygienists. It was revised and adopted by the ADHA House of Delegates and made part of the Code of Ethics in 1948. The ADHA Board of Trustees suggested that it be used in graduation exercises and by state societies in the installation of members.1 One of the first oaths found published was recorded in 1958 and Patricia Ramsay, AS, RDH, tells us it can be found in the 1958 yearbook of Forsyth (Figure 1). We cannot be certain if this was the same one from 1939. It makes reference to accepting a “cap”; obviously, it was recited during a “capping” ceremony. If you visit the ADHA website, you will find another version that is similar but modified from the 1958 Forsyth version. This makes reference to receiving a parchment from an alma mater (Figure 2). Furthermore, there is a contemporary version of the oath (Figure 3). References to God, Dr. Fones and dentistry’s patron saint, Apollonia, are no longer there. This change represents evolution in that the oath is no longer an oath as defined: oaths are formal statements or promises usually made to a deity and/or refer to an entity held sacred. Vows are really special oaths that also hold a deity as a witness and recipient of the promise.2 The contemporary “oath” has actually been transformed to an affirmation and a pledge. It is concise, professional and straightforward, and should be called our “pledge” to be accurate. Attempts to fill in the missing gaps have proven fruitless. It is possible that the oaths were modified for the specific occasions. If there is someone out there with dusty records who could shed some light on the transformations of the oath, they are welcome to contact ADHA and share their evidence. Even without that missing information, dental hygiene programs today continue to request that their graduates take the “Dental Hygiene Oath.” In these new times for dental hygiene, the original recommendations of ADHA should be rethought. For example, state associations can incorporate the oath during installation ceremonies. What if, once a year at a constituent’s annual meeting, all dental hygienists renewed their oath? The ADHA House of Delegates could also be a venue for regenerating the activity of “taking the dental hygiene oath” each year. We made a promise when we began our career. Reaffirming our commitment each year can only serve to remind us of how serious our dedication is to our profession and the public it serves. Hic ut a centum magis annus. References 1. Motley WE. History of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association 1923- 1982. American Dental Hygienists’ Association, Chicago, IL 1986. 2. Definition of oath. Www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/oath 3. The Purple Band, Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists, 1958, page 35. Acknowledgment Many thanks to Patricia Ramsay, AS, RDH, for her help. Winnie Furnari, RDH, MS, FAADH, is past president of the New Jersey and New York Dental Hygienists’ Associations. She is a recipient of the ADHA Distinguished Service and the Philips/ ADHA Excellence in Dental Hygiene Award and the 2012 Mentor of Distinction. She is an assistant professor at New York University College of Dentistry where she served on the Ethics and Professionalism Council and serves as ADHA student chapter co-advisor. She has extensive experience in lecturing and work in forensic odontology. Where as ages ago in their quest for supernatural aid, the Greeks swore by Aesculapius, son of Apollo, God of Health, and by Hygeia, Goddess of Health; and whereas the Romans in the Christian era placed themselves under the protection of Apollonia, whose help as Dentistry’s patron saint they besought, so now, do I—humbly acknowledging my human limitations in accepting this cap, a symbol of my profession—solemnly swear to render health service to those who seek my ministrations, hereby enjoining upon myself the sacred duty of teaching the public, particularly children and young people, by precept, lecture, and every other available means, and further bind myself by future study, to broaden my knowledge that I may share with others such information in my special field as will tend toward the ideal of dental health as sought by Dr. Alfred C. Fones, the founder of the profession of Dental Hygiene.With this pledge inviolate, may in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, it be granted me to enrich my life in the practice of my art, thus to worship God in the service of mankind. Where as ages ago in their quest for supernatural aid, the Greeks swore by Aesculapius, son of Apollo, god of health, and by Hygeia, goddess of health; and whereas, the Romans in the Christian era placed themselves under the protection of Apollonia, whose help as Dentistry’s patron saint, they besought, so now, do I—humbly acknowledging my human limitations—in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, solemnly swear to render health service to those who seek my ministrations, hereby enjoining upon myself the sacred duty of teaching the public, particularly children and young people, by precept, lecture, and every other available means, and further bind myself by future study, to broaden my knowledge that I may share with others such information in my special field as will tend toward the ideal of dental health as sought by Dr. Alfred C. Fones, the founder of the profession of Dental Hygiene.With this pledge inviolate, may in accepting this parchment of my Alma Mater, it be granted me to enrich my life in the practice of my art, thus to worship God in the service of mankind.

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