Journal Articles, White Papers, and Policy Contributions
Dr. Derik has contributed extensively to the advancement of dental hygiene scholarship, policy development, and professional governance through peer-reviewed research, white papers, and regulatory frameworks focused on autonomy, education, workforce structure, and self-governance.
His scholarly and policy contributions include:
Reviewer, ADHA White Paper on Self-Regulation in Dental Hygiene, contributing critical analysis and editorial review on professional regulatory autonomy.
Primary Author, Dental Hygiene Modernization Act Framework, a legislative and policy framework designed to modernize dental hygiene practice acts, expand access to preventive care, and align licensure with contemporary workforce and public health needs.
Primary Author (Publication expected December 2026), Journal of Dental Hygiene:
“Partisanship or Regional Culture? Determinants of Dental Hygiene Scope of Practice, 1984–2025” — a longitudinal policy analysis examining the political, regulatory, and regional factors influencing scope-of-practice variation across the United States.Author (Publication expected 2027), “From Silos to Pathways: A Qualitative Study of Program Director Perspectives on a Tiered Dental Education Model” — an examination of educational reform and articulated pathways within dental and dental hygiene education.
Author, ADHA white paper: “Self-Governance in Dental Hygiene: An Economic and Ethical Imperative” — an analysis of regulatory authority, professional accountability, and the ethical and legal rationale for independent governance structures within dental hygiene.
Co-Author, forthcoming ADHA white paper, On the Oral Preventive Assistant — a critical analysis of the Oral Preventive Assistant as the normalization of deviance in preventive oral healthcare, examined through the intersecting lenses of law, science, and ethics.