Letter to NJDHA Membership from
Dorothy (Dodie) Allers, RDH, license #71
Sunstar 2011 Award of Excellence Recipient

What wonderful news to learn that a new era of dental hygiene has begun in NJ with the passage of legislation that will permit General Supervision. And what an exciting time to be a dental hygiene professional in our state! I’ve been practicing for 62 years and it was only a few years before I started as a professional that NJ dental hygienists were licensed in the state. While the majority of the country received licensing starting as early as 1914, it wasn’t until 1946 that we gained that privilege – one of the last states to do so! I had the pleasure of working with many of the women who fought for our rights to have the opportunity to pursue our passion, and in 1950 was elected the VP of the NJ Dental Hygienists Assoc. and later as Treasurer and co-Treasurer – no experience necessary, which was good because I didn’t have any.