Dental Hygiene

This is the final course in the series of two capstone project courses. This course will provide the opportunity to implement and evaluate the culminating project to demonstrate achievement of program outcomes.

DH 417 Community Dental Health is the continuation of DH 407 Dental Public Health Concepts. This course is designed to prepare the student to function as an effective oral health practitioner, educator, and resource person in a variety of community health settings. Evidence-based decision making will be applied to dental public health settings. Community water fluoridation, other forms of fluoridation, and other public health methods of primary prevention will be explored in terms of cost efficiency, efficacy, and safety. The role of the dental hygienist in tobacco cessation education will be emphasized. Community partners will be identified, if applicable to the class project. Students will conduct field work to identify an area of interest by contacting organizations, businesses, or educational institutions to discuss the feasibility of project ideas and the availability of participation. Emphasis will be on the development of a community service project on dental hygiene related topics taking into consideration the education level, SES, ethnicity, gender, age, and cultural considerations of their intended target population or audience.

This is the final course in a two-part series focusing on Inter-professional education. This course is designed to give students the opportunity to take concepts learned in DH 410 Foundations of Inter-professional Collaborative Practice and apply skills and knowledge during external clinical enrichment rotations in the community. Clinical rotation sites may include but are not limited to, hospitals, medical offices, short and long-term care facilities. This course will give the students the opportunity to present their inter-professional collaborative practice team experience to their classmates as a way of self-reflective practice to improve upon professional growth.

A continuation of Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice II. Clinical application of diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic procedures utilized in patient care by a dental hygienist with increased levels of achievement in all dental hygiene skills.

Advanced study of periodontology with emphasis on new surgical modalities and equipment. Orientation to all aspects of periodontal practice.

This course will prepare the student to function as effective oral health educator, practitioner, and resource person in public health settings. This course involves 3 hours per week of field work. Some rotations will be arranged by instructor, others will be arranged by the student with prior approval from the instructor. Externship rotations may include, but are not limited to the VA dental clinic, Indian Health Service dental clinics, Community Health Alliance dental clinic, Early Head Start or Head Start programs, Future Smiles, Remote Area Medical events, nursing homes, oncology or memory care facilities, homeless shelters, and public schools.

The study of ethics, jurisprudence, business practices, finance, management, and policy creation for oral health care professionals, programs and businesses. This course examines current societal and professional issues and their impact on dental hygiene practices and management. This course will cover the following areas: planning, strategy and leadership, legal and ethical issues affecting businesses in the oral health care sector, financial statements, and professional considerations. The course will prepare students to take the Nevada Dental Hygiene Law and Ethics exam required for licensing as a Registered Dental Hygienist.

This course is designed to introduce students to the research process and how it applies to evidence-based patient care. Emphasis is on research design and methods, scientific databases and evidence-based strategies. Application of research methods and statistical techniques to the critical evaluation of current scientific literature will be addressed. Evidence-based decision making and development of critical thinking skills will be discussed.

This course has a clinical and seminar component. The clinical component is designed to focus on application of clinical practice including, infection and exposure control, sterilization, ergonomics, emergency care, oral prophylaxis, patient medical/dental assessment, extra/intra oral assessment, caries and periodontal risk assessments, periodontal and dental charting, nutrition and diet counseling, oral hygiene education, digital/radiography imaging, inspection of teeth, dental hygiene diagnosis and care planning, instrumentation skills and techniques, patient management, health promotion and disease prevention, patient scheduling, re-care systems, documenting manual and electronic information in a dental software system. The seminar component focuses on research, patient case presentations, clinic journal reflections, continuation of electronic portfolio from first semester, and discussions and review of clinical policies, processes and procedures.

The focus of Periodontic Principles I is on advanced instrumentation, ultrasonic devices, root planing, gingival curettage, subgingival irrigation, hypersensitivity treatment, instrument sharpening and care, care of dental implants and oral prostheses, and other adjunctive treatments.