A Study of Visible Tattoos in Entry-level Dental Hygiene Education Programs

Objectives: To assess entry-level dental hygiene program directors’ perceptions of dental hygienists with visible tattoos.
To discover the existing dress code policies in United States dental hygiene programs concerning visible tattoos.
Methods: Data was collected with an online survey emailed in March to April 2016 to 340 dental hygiene program directors yielding a 43% (141) response rate. Participants indicated their opinions of visible tattoos on the basis of professionalism and school policy satisfaction.
Results: Eighty percent of respondents reported their program as having dress code policies on visible tattoos, with the majority (97%) requiring visible tattoos to be covered. Results revealed both students (M=5.57, p<.0005) and faculty (M=5.76, p<.0005) with visible tattoos were perceived as significantly less professional. Most participants agreed that faculty should discuss the impact of visible tattoos on future employment opportunities, and the community would view the school as less professional if students had visible tattoos (p<0.0005). Tolerance toward tattoos (p< 0.001), but not age, (p = 0.50), was significantly associated with satisfaction concerning program tattoo policies. A lower tolerance towards visible tattoos (p < 0.001) was associated with an increased likelihood that a program dress code policy on visible tattoos existed.
Conclusions: Results showed that visible tattoos were not perceived favorably and that director’s personal perceptions may have influenced school dress code polices. These findings provide evidenced based information for hygienists, students, faculty, administrators and hiring managers as they formulate policies relating to body art.