English introduction

Members and Membership
The Danish Association of Dental Hygienists (Dansk Tandplejerfor-ening (DTP)) represents 1,500 state authorised dental hygienists educated at either the University of Copenhagen or the University of Aarhus.

Dental hygienists in Denmark are occupied within the municipalities, regions, state or in the private sector.  Dental hygienists work with children, young people, adults and elderly people in schools, nursing homes, hospitals and in institutions for physically and mentally handicap-ped and in prisons.
 
Dental hygienists work clinically and with prevention and health pro-motion as well as teaching in other health related branches. Dental hygenists may be employees or self-employed.
 
Members include dental hygienists in the public and private sectors and self-employed dental hygienists as well as students. The vast majority of dental hygienists in DTP comes from Denmark, however, the Society also includes members from abroad. Members abroad are entitled to be associated members.

Associated members receive the scientific journal Tandplejeren every month and passwords to the Society´s Web Services.

Objectives
The Association was founded on May 22 1974, shortly after the first den-tal hygienists were educated. The objective of the Society is to attend to the professional and educational interests as well as pay and working conditions of dental hygienists. The Society has the collective bargaining rights for the members and may conclude labour agreements. DTP has the collective bargaining rights in the areas, where the member has concluded a labour agreement with the employer. This applies to all dental hygienists who are employed in both the public an private sectors as well for self-employed dental hygienists.

International cooperation
DTP is a member of International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH), which unites dental associations internationally. DTP also has an informal cooperation with the Nordic dental hygiene associations.

  
President of the Danish Dental Hygienists
It is very important for me to profile the dental hygientists´ qualifications as an indispensable part of the odontological team. It is, however, also important to make the profession visible and to create a setting for its potential regarding health political auspices, i.e. as regards a health promotive and preventive effort.

To strengthen the working relations and the respect between the various trade groups in the team is of great importance to me. - The aim is a solid cross functional relationship within the team and between the other groups in the health sector to provide health and quality of life to the clients!

Best regards,

Elisabeth Gregersen
President of the Danish Association of Dental Hygienists