The Dental Hygiene program prepares you to provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic disease prevention, health promotion, and oral hygiene services under the supervision of a licensed dentist. You will gain knowledge and skills in:
Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) is the designation for a licensed professional in the State of Iowa. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the national written and state/regional clinical examinations for licensure, required to practice in any state. A social security number is required in order to take exams and apply for licensure.
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to:
Program Outcome 1: Demonstrate competency in basic sciences, oral sciences, and dental hygiene sciences.
1.1 Demonstrate knowledge of behavioral, sociological, communication, biomedical, dental, and dental hygiene sciences.
Program Outcome 2: Identify and manage appropriate procedures for infection control, radiation hygiene, occupational hazards, and medical emergency protocols.
2.1 Identify principles of microbiology and disease prevention in order to apply the principles of infection control and environmental safety.
2.2 Identify the need for radiographs, accurately and safely expose and develop x-rays to obtain radiographs of diagnostic quality, and radiographically interpret normal from abnormal anatomic features.
2.3 Identify common medical emergencies and respond appropriately in the clinical setting.
Program Outcome 3: Assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate, and document the complete dental hygiene process of care for all patients.
3.1 Apply these sciences as the matrix for examining, assessing, evaluating, diagnosing, planning, and implementing the entire dental hygiene care process.
3.2 Utilize ergonomic principles to promote the health and comfort of self, staff, and patients.
3.3 Establish a patient dialogue to obtain, record, update, and organize accurate and complete demographic, medical, family, and dental histories, psychological and socioeconomic information relevant to health care, medications; and patient chief complaint, expectations, and goals for dental hygiene care.
3.4 With the cooperation of the patient, perform, record, and organize a physical assessment appropriate for dental care, including the identification of physical, psychological, and verbal abuse.
3.5 Accurately record the findings of an extraoral and intraoral examination, an examination of the dentition, an evaluation of the periodontium, risk assessments; and indicate conditions that compromise the general, dental, and periodontal health of the patient.
3.6 Analyze, interpret, and assess the data to formulate a dental hygiene plan, and determine the unmet needs of the patient based on the analysis of assessment findings.
3.7 Discuss the condition of the oral cavity, actual and potential problems, etiological and contributing factors, and recommended and alternative treatment plans.
3.8 Develop dental hygiene care plans that reflect the impact of systemic disease and its management on the provision of dental care.
3.9 Utilize psychological and /or behavioral techniques, along with accepted clinical desensitizing techniques, for the control of pain, anxiety, and patient discomfort.
3.10 Deliver and manage non-surgical periodontal therapy, which utilizes basic and advanced principles of instrumentation and chemotherapeutic agents, and provide pre- and post-treatment instructions.
3.11 Deliver and manage preventative oral health maintenance care.
3.12 Determine the clinical outcomes of dental hygiene interventions.
Program Outcome 4: Adhere to the standards of dental hygiene practice and comply with the legal rules and regulations of dental hygiene care.
4.1 Apply purposeful and self-regulatory judgment to master the dental hygiene care process with reflective skepticism.
4.2 Demonstrate professional knowledge, judgment, and aptitude by complying with applicable federal and Iowa State laws, Iowa Dental Board administrative rules and regulations, and the ADHA and ADA Codes of Ethics pertaining to dentistry and dental hygiene.
Program Outcome 5: Internalize and exhibit the principles of ethics of the dental hygiene profession.
5.1 Provide ethical, legal, humane, compassionate, equitable, confidential (using the knowledge of HIPAA), and comprehensive care to pediatric, adolescent, adult, senior, and special needs patients
Program Outcome 6: Utilize interpersonal and communication skills to effectively interact with individuals and population groups emphasizing diversity.
6.1 Develop alternative dental hygiene care plans, which are sequenced to address patient needs, consistent with assessment and diagnoses, reflect the impact of behavioral, social, and cultural differences, and are supportive of the patient's overall dental treatment plan.
6.2 Determine priorities and establish oral health goals with the patient and /or family and /or guardian as an active participant.
Program Outcome 7: Provide preventive self-care oral health education to individuals and groups.
7.1 Utilize the principles of learning and instruction in educating patients concerning their risk factors, developing self-care regimens, and encouraging patients to assume responsibility for their health and adherence to self-care regimens.
Program Outcome 8: Analyze current oral health literature and case-based studies and apply this information to the practice of dental hygiene.
8.1 Employ critical thinking and decision-making skills to actively, and skillfully, analyze, conceptualize, research, synthesize, self-assess, and evaluate current peer-reviewed oral health literature and case-based studies, and apply this information to the practice of dental hygiene.
Program Outcome 9: Apply dental hygiene principles within the interdisciplinary approach to disease prevention and health promotion.
9.1 Establish collaborative relationships among dental hygiene and other healthcare professions.
Program Outcome 10: Research, implement, and evaluate community oral health programs targeted to specific population groups.
10.1 Apply the dental hygiene care process (assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation) to community-based oral health programs and disease prevention activities.