Dental Hygiene

Program Goals

1. Students will successfully meet the essential competencies and student outcomes as outlined in the Pierce College Dental Hygiene Student Handbook titled Competencies for Dental Hygiene and the Pierce College Course Outcomes and syllabi objectives.
2. Graduates will be prepared academically and clinically to successfully pass any dental hygiene licensing examination given in the United States.
3. Graduates will provide quality, evidence-based, client-centered dental hygiene services.
4. Graduates will demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of their education and dental hygiene careers.
5. Graduates will successfully demonstrate the Five Pierce College Core Abilities.
6. Clients/consumers will receive quality dental hygiene services and be satisfied with the services rendered.
7. Faculty will regularly review curriculum and use evidence-based research as a basis for curricular changes and updates.
8. Faculty will commit to continual professional development to enhance dental hygiene academic quality, and provide the best and technologically sound educational environment for successful student learning.
9. Affiliates and community organizations will have collegial and professional experiences when interacting with the dental hygiene program faculty, staff, and students.
10. The curriculum will provide an academic basis which facilitates articulation with other educational programs and from which graduates may progress toward additional academic advancement.

Program Outcomes

I - PROFESSIONALISM

Competency The competent dental hygienist provides clinical care using contemporary professional knowledge, judgement and ability (ADHA Code of Ethics). The dental hygiene practitioner must be capable of discerning and managing ethical issues and problems in the practice of dental hygiene, which occur in a rapidly changing environment where therapy and ethical issues are influenced by regulatory action, economics, social policy, cultural diversity and health care reform. Additionally, as dental hygiene tries to create a unique identity for the profession and increase the knowledge base, the competent dental hygienist must be able to understand and apply diverse information to practice in this dynamic environment.

1 - Ethics
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to discern and manage the ethical, legal and regulatory issues of dental hygiene practice.

1. 1.1 Articulate ethical principles relevant to dental hygiene and practice with personal and professional integrity.
2. 1.2 Serve all patients and the community without discrimination.
3. 1.3 Provide humane and compassionate care to all patients.
4. 1.4 Demonstrates honesty and professionalism in relationships with patients, colleagues and other professionals.
5. 1.5 Manage the patient record as a legal document and maintain its accuracy and consistency.
6. 1.6 Preserve the privacy of the patient during dental hygiene services and maintain the confidentiality of patient records in compliance with state and federal laws.
7. 1.7 Comply with state and federal laws governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene.

2 - Teamwork
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to demonstrate the qualitites of effective teamwork.

1. 2.1 Demonstrate a spirit of “cooperation” with a positive attitude.
2. 2.2 Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication.
3. 2.3 Takes initiative in providing support to other team members to enable success.

3 - Information Management and Critical Thinking
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to acquire, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information in a scientific, accurate, and effective manner.

1. 3.1 Solve problems and make decisions based on accepted scientific principles.
2. 3.2 Assume responsibility for dental hygiene services based on critical analysis of oral health research, accepted scientific theories and standards of care.
3. 3.3 Communicate professional knowledge in verbal and written form to patients, colleagues and other professionals.
4. 3.4 Demonstrate qualities that instill confidence and respect from employers, coworkers, patients, and other professionals.

4 - Professional Identity
The graduating dental hygienist must demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the enrichment of the dental hygiene profession.

1. 4.1 Advance the profession through service activities and affiliations with professional organizations.
2. 4.2 Promote the values of the profession and participate in it’s roles as defined by the ADHA (clinician, educator, researcher, change agent, consumer advocate, administrator).

5 - Life Long Learner
The graduating dental hygienist must possess the life-long learning skills necessary to maintain competency and quality assurance in all dental hygiene endeavors.

1. 5.1 Demonstrate self-assessment and self-correction skills to formulate a plan for success by assuming responsibility for learning.
2. 5.2 Employs inquiry and information processes in order to engage in lifelong learning.
3. 5.3 Uses organizational structures or tools to facilitate access and manipulation of information.
4. 5.4 Identifies appropriate and relevant sources to locate and retrieve relevant information.
5. 5.5 Applies a repertoire of creative and flexible information seeking strategies to navigate the unfamiliar (take action, solve a problem).
6. 5.6 Evaluates information and critically reasons to develop a knowledge base and transform ones own understanding.
7. 5.7 Synthesizes new information with personal experience and knowledge to stimulate creativity, acquire insight, or transform values.
8. 5.8 Examines the ethical, cultural, and legal issues surrounding information to utilize such information responsibly.

II - HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION

The dental hygienist serves the community in both practice and public health settings. Public health is concerned with promoting health and preventing disease through organized community efforts and is an important component of any interdisciplinary approach. In the practice setting, the dental hygienist plays an active role in the promotion of optimal oral health and its relationship to general health. The dental hygienist, therefore, must be competent in the performance and delivery of oral health promotion and disease prevention services in the public health, practice and alternative settings.

6 - Health Education Principles
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to provide patient-centered educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills and strategies to promote optimal health.

1. 6.1 Model and promote the values of oral and general health to the public within and outside the profession.
2. 6.2 Assess the oral health needs of individuals and assist them in the development of appropriate and individualized self-care regimens.
3. 6.3 Employ appropriate educational strategies to encourage patients to accept responsibility for optimal oral and general health.
4. 6.4 Respect individual goals, values, beliefs and preferences of the patient/client while demonstrating appropriate interpersonal communication skills to promote wellness.
5. 6.5 Evaluate variables that can be used to promote patient/client adherence to disease prevention and/or health maintenance strategies.
6. 6.6 Evaluate and utilize methods to ensure the health and safety of the patient/client and the dental hygienist in the delivery of dental hygiene services.

7 - Community Based Focus
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations.

1. 7.1 Assess the oral health needs of the community and the quality and availability of resources and services.
2. 7.2 Participate in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation phases of community-based oral health programs.
3. 7.3 Provide screening, referral, and educational services that allow clients to access the resources of the health care system.
4. 7.4 Identify population risk factors and develop strategies that promote an optimal health environment.
5. 7.5 Provide community oral health services in a variety of settings.
6. 7.6 Evaluate the outcomes of community based programs and plan for future activities.

III - PATIENT CARE

The dental hygienist is a preventive oral health professional who provides education and clinical services in the support of oral health. The dental hygiene process of care applies principles from the biomedical, clinical and social sciences to diverse populations that may include the medically compromised, mentally or physically challenged or socially or culturally disadvantaged.

8 - Assessment
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to systematically collect, analyze and accurately record data on the general, oral and psychosocial health status of patients using methods consistent with medicolegal principles.

1. 8.1 Obtain, review and update complete medical and dental histories and determine medical conditions that require special considerations.
2. 8.2 Identify and initiate appropriate referrals for optimum patient health.
3. 8.3 Perform a comprehensive examination using appropriate diagnostic tools and methods for clinical, radiographic and diagnostic imaging, periodontal, dental charting, and other data collection procedures to assess and document the patients/clients needs.

9 - Planning
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to, through collaboration with the patient and other health professionals, use critical decision making skills to formulate an evidence based and patient centered comprehensive dental hygiene care plan.

1. 9.1 Apply patient risk assessment data to formulate a dental hygiene care plan.
2. 9.2 Determine priorities and establish oral health goals with the patient, family and/or guardian as an active participant to ensure informed consent.
3. 9.3 Establish a planned sequence of educational and clinical dental hygiene services using an evidence-based approach.
4. 9.4 Communicate the plan for dental hygiene services to the patient/guardian and appropriate members of the health care team.

10 - Implementation
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to provide care designed to promote and maintain oral health and assist the patient in achieving oral health goals.

1. 10.1 Identify and apply accepted infection and hazard control procedures in accordance with all applicable regulations and guidelines.
2. 10.2 Apply principles of instrumentation to achieve a quality outcome.
3. 10.3 Provide pain management during treatment through the use of accepted clinical techniques and appropriate stress management strategies.
4. 10.4 Administer appropriate preventive, desensitizing and/or antimicrobial (chemotherapeutic) agents and provide related patient instructions.
5. 10.5 Apply appropriate measures for medical emergencies that may be encountered in dental hygiene practice, to include Basic Life Support.
6. 10.6 Provide patients with appropriate educational counseling consistent with oral findings.
7. 10.7 Apply principles of anatomy, instrumentation, and restorative dentistry to achieve a quality outcome for restorative procedures performed by the dental hygienist.

11 - Evaluation
The graduating dental hygienist must be able to evaluate the effectiveness of planned clinical and educational services and modify as necessary.

1. 11.1 Determine the clinical outcomes of dental hygiene interventions employing appropriate indices, instruments and examination techniques to determine an individualized supportive periodontal therapy.
2. 11.2 Determine patient's satisfaction of dental hygiene services received.
3. 11.3 Apply principles of anatomy, and occlusion to determine clinically acceptable restorative procedures performed by the dental hygienist.