Top Professors of Dental Hygiene

Dani Carroll is best known for her incredible teaching style and dedication to her students' learning. In 2011, she won the ADHA Educator of the Year award due to the overwhelming nominations from her students. According to her students, "She absolutely loves her students. Her classes are hard because the material is hard. She makes it as easy and straightforward as possible. I cannot stress enough how awesome she is."

Maribeth Stitt  is a professor and Director for the Dental Hygiene program at Lone Star College, in addition to being promoted to the position of Interim Dean for the school. Her unique teaching style and collaborative learning methods have earned her the Teaching Excellence Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD). She is also a Past President of the Texas Dental Hygiene Educator's Association (TDHEA).

Tracye A. Moore is an active participant in many professional organizations, including the ADHA and the New Era Dental Society. She is also the current President of the National Dental Hygienist's Association (NDHA), and advocates for minorities in the field of Dental Hygiene. She is the author of several book chapters, including "Teledentistry and Dental Hygiene," and has recently released a bilingual children's book advocating good dental health, "I Want to Be a Dental High Genius!"

Gail Aamodt is one of the rising stars in the field of dental hygiene. She recently won the ADHA Crest Oral-B Educator of the Year Award (2014) for her "excellence in teaching, mentoring, and helping students achieve their goals." She is the author of many professional papers and a textbook, "Color Atlas of Dental Hygiene: Periodontology." 

Lisa Bell brings her phenomenal patient focus into the classroom, where she guides students to continually educate about the benefits of dental health. She recently won the ADHA Crest Oral-B Award for Clinical Dental Hygienists which focuses on, "contributions dental hygienists make in their patients’ lives," in response to the dental clinic she founded (Salvation Army Dental Clinic) which provides free dental care to the homeless. 

Mitzi Efurd is one of the most influential names in Dental Hygiene education. She is a current member of the Joint Commission on National Dental Exams (JCNDE) and an active member of the ADHA. She is both a professor and the Chairman of the Dental Hygiene program at the University of Arkansas, and her community activities include an annual "Extraction Day," which help between 170-200 people each year. 

Laura Manning-Lee is an active contributor to both her students and her community. She is an active participant in the "Heartfelt Project," which provides lower-income children free dental care. Her action in this project earned her the 1998 ADHA Colgate Community Outreach Award. In addition to being a member of both the ADHA and MDHA, she is a Past President of the Sigma Phi Alpha National Dental Hygiene Honor Society. 

Wendy Kerschbaum's innovative research and mentorship have been very influential on many of the hygienists on this list. Her influence led her to be a part of the National Oral Health Care Conference Task Force on Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioners. In 2012, she received the ADHA Educator of the Year Award. In addition, her achievements with the Student Chapter of the ADHA formed the basis of the Wendy Kerschbaum SADHA Emerging Leader Award. She is the author of over 35 publications. 

Lisa J. Moravec is the most recent Past President of the Nebraska Dental Hygienist's Association (2013-2014) in addition to her duties as an assistant professor and Coordinator for the Department of Dental Hygiene at UN Medical Center. She also acts as the representative Trustee for Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska for the ADHA. She teaches Preclinic Techniques, and all upper-level Clinical Dental Hygiene courses at UNMC.

Christine Nathe is a member of the research faculty team at the UNM, as well as the Graduate Program Director. She has practiced dental hygiene for both private practices as well as military organizations, nursing homes, prisons, and schools. She is the author of some of the most influential books in dental hygiene, including "Dental Public Health and Research: Contemporary Practice for the Dental Hygienist, 3rd Ed." Her many awards include the ADHA/Johnson and Johnson Award for Excellence in Dental Hygiene. 

Rebecca Wilder is an avid publisher and researcher in addition to being an honored professor. She is the current Director of Faculty Development at UNC - Chapel Hill as well as the Director of the Master-level Dental Hygiene program. She has been very active in the ADHA and has served on many influential councils. Her work with nonsurgical periodontal therapy has earned her the Colgate/International Association for Dental Research Oral Health Research Award in addition to the Pfizer/ADHA Award for Excellence in Dental Hygiene. Wilder is also the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dental Hygiene. 

Harold A. Henson has taken on many leadership positions within the field of Dental Hygiene, including as the President of the Supreme Chapter of Sigma Phi Alpha (a dental hygiene fraternity) and the Texas Dental Hygiene Educator's Association. He was also the Chair of the ADEA Section for Dental Hygiene Education and serves as an editor to journals such as the Journal of Dental Hygiene and ACCESS Magazine. He is also known for his excellent teaching, which earned him the ADHA Procter and Gamble/Oral-B Educator of the Year Award (2009).

Barbara L. Dixon has been a very active member of the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) for 40 years, and currently serves as a trustee. has been an influential thought leader for the industry. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry by the Dental Products Report, partially due to her revolutionary work with the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations to set national dental hygienist standards.