Graduates of the Dental Hygiene Career Track are prepared to:

         Dental Hygiene Process of Care Competencies:

• Graduates must be competent in providing dental hygiene care for the child, adolescent, adult, geriatric and medically compromised patient.
• Graduates must be competent in providing dental hygiene process of care that includes assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of provided services.
• Graduates must be competent in providing dental hygiene care for all types of periodontally involved patients.

          Dental Hygiene Professionalism and Ethics Competencies:

• Graduates must assume responsibility and accountability for dental hygiene actions and services, according to protocol.
• Graduates must be able to communicated effectively using verbal, nonverbal, written and electronic communication skills.
• Graduates must be able to adhere to local, state, and federal laws, recommendations and regulations for dental hygiene actions and services.

Dental Hygiene Community/Health Promotion Competencies:

• Graduates must be competent in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating community-based oral health programs including health promotion and disease prevention activities.

Dental Hygiene Professional Growth and Development Competencies:

• Graduates must be competent in the application of self-assessment skills to prepare them for lifelong learning.
• Graduates must be competent in the evaluation of current scientific literature.

Philosophy

We believe:

• That education for dental assistants and dental hygienists should be developed within the organized academic setting within the framework of the parent institution.
• That dental assistants and dental hygienists should be an integral part of the practice of dentistry in the health care setting.
• The teaching/learning process takes place by a dynamic process involving both the teacher and the student through which change and growth in the individual occur.
• That the curriculum should reflect both theoretical principles and supervised experience for the high level performance.
• That the curriculum should provide for the individualized differences in learning so that each individual student may realize their goal and meet the stated objectives.
• That the curriculum should reflect and meet the demands by national and state regulatory agencies that credential these personnel and that the dental assisting and dental hygiene student should function within the legal framework of these regulatory bodies.
• That recognizing the ever changing needs of society for dental services, the student must be assisted in providing services, without regard to age, gender, national origin, economic or social status and physical or mental ability.

Competencies shared by Dental Assistants and Dental Hygienists

1. Identify the professional role of members of the dental health team in terms of
2. responsibilities and functions.
3. Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior.
4. Demonstrate dental auxiliary and patient positioning.
5. Demonstrate operation of the operator and assistant stools, dental chair and unit.
6. Demonstrate positioning of the dental unit and patient relative to the clinician.
7. Demonstrate positioning zones relative to each treatment area.
8. Demonstrate plaque control using appropriate oral physiotherapy methods and materials.
9. Follow the current OSHA/CDC recommendations for control of blood borne pathogens and hazardous materials.
10. Identify precautionary measures that must be taken by dental personnel to prevent disease transfer from patient to patient, patient to clinician, clinician to clinician, and clinician to community.
11. Explain the purposes of the complete dental and medical record and its component parts.
12. Obtain, interpret and evaluate personal, medical and dental histories and apply precautionary measures as needed.
13. Recognize the patient record as a legal document and maintain its accuracy and consistency.
14. Use a complete, reviewed medical history and preoperative vital signs to help prevent, predict and identify medical emergencies.
15. Appropriately manage specific medical emergencies in response to given signs and symptoms.
16. Develop an emergency protocol for a given clinician setting and explain how it will be implemented in a variety of emergency situations.
17. Demonstrate the process for performing extraoral and intraoral examinations and record the findings.
18. Describe the ways in which diet and nutrition can affect the overall health of the body and specifically of the oral cavity.
19. Demonstrate patient education skills, emphasizing various plaque control techniques.
20. Select oral hygiene procedures, products and devices that specifically meet individuals’ needs for plaque control.
21. Explain properties and benefits of stannous, sodium and acidulated phosphate fluorides and demonstrate techniques for their application.
22. Explain the role of dental sealants in the prevention of oral disease.
23. Correctly follow tooth selection criteria for sealant placement.
24. Demonstrate the accepted sequence in sealant placement.
25. Differentiate between the normal and abnormal appearance of tooth structure, supporting structures and anatomic landmarks on patient/dental radiographs.
26. Describe healthy periodontium related to clinical signs and histological characteristics.
27. Describe the nature and formation of dental plaque and its importance in the etiology of periodontal disease.
28. Identify five categories of periodontitis as defined by the American Academy of Periodontology.
29. Describe the current treatment modalities of periodontitis.
30. Define, recognize and recall the etiology of acute periodontal conditions.
31. Identify relationships among the various local, state, federal and international community dental health programs, and discuss the role of the dental auxiliary.
32. Identify, describe and obtain a patient’s blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration and body temperature.
33. Describe maintenance and care of oral appliances and demonstrate the removal of soft deposits.
34. Describe therapeutic agents commonly used in the management of the dental patient.
35. Identify and explain the components of a drug prescription.
36. Describe various communication methods to give and obtain information and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
37. Describe how their role fits in with their department, their setting, and the overall health care environment.
38. Identify how key systems relate to the services they perform and affect quality of care.
39. Identify how employability skills enhance their employment opportunities and job satisfaction.
40. Demonstrate key employability skills.
41. Upgrade employability skills as needed to maintain employment.
42. Describe their legal responsibilities, limitation, and the implications of their actions within the health delivery setting.
43. Perform their duties in accordance with laws, regulations, policies, and legislated rights of clients.
44. Identify accepted ethical practices with respect to cultural, social and ethnic differences, particularly within the health care environment.
45. Perform their duties within established ethical guidelines, supporting sensitive and quality health care delivery.
46. Describe the existing and potential hazards to clients, co-workers and self.
47. Prevent injury or illness through safe work practices and follow health and safety policies and procedures.
48. Describe the role and responsibilities of individual members as part of the health care team, including their ability to promote the delivery of quality health care.
49. Interact effectively and sensitively with all members of the health care team.
50. Encourage the practice of preventive health behaviors among their clients.
51. Outline ways to explain planned procedures and goals to clients.
52. Use various explanation strategies and answer clients’ questions.
53. Describe how to communicate within a team and convey critical client information to appropriate team members in a timely manner.
54. Outline the process for monitoring client health status according to respective professional standards and report results to the treatment team.
55. Describe the principles of proper body mechanics for positioning, transferring and transporting clients efficiently and without injury to clients or self.
56. Describe facility protocol and guidelines for collecting data.
57. Report results of data collection and assist the treatment team in identifying client health care needs, strengths and problems.
58. Identify the general purpose and components of the treatment plan; assist in planning procedures according to facility protocol.
59. Describe the procedures within their scope of practice and how these procedures relate to the goals and objectives of the treatment plan.
60. Execute procedures accurately and in a timely fashion, supporting the treatment plan.
61. Identify the clients’ needs, strengths and problems, and assist in evaluation of client status in order to reach treatment goals.
62. Describe the components and implications of requests for procedures.
63. Read a request for services, and plan when and how to implement the services.
64. Describe the steps of procedural set-ups and prepare supplies, equipment and the client for procedures according to facility protocol.
65. Outline the logic and sequence of the procedure including alternative methods.
66. Perform procedures to create precise and accurate products.
67. Describe the principles of quality assurance and continuously evaluate procedures and products.
68. Understand the need for precise, accurate and timely reporting; and produce and report results using appropriate communication channels.
69. Describe the fetal development of gross anatomical structures of the face, oral and nasal cavities.
70. Identify the anatomic structures and landmarks of the oral cavity, face and nasal cavities radiographically, clinically and histologically.
71. Explain the embryological development of the teeth.
72. Identify all teeth and describe the functional anatomy of each.
73. Identify the relationships of teeth to one another and to the bones, muscles and nerves closely associated with the dentition.
74. Describe the nervous, vascular and lymphatic tissues associated with the oral cavity as they relate to the practice of a dental auxiliary.
75. Describe the muscles of facial expression and muscles of mastication as they relate to function.
76. Locate, classify and discuss the function of the salivary glands.
77. Relate the spread of infection to knowledge of oral tissue spaces.
78. Describe how x-rays are produced and their effect on radiographic film.
79. Describe biological effects of radiation.
80. Identify radiation hygiene and protection.
81. Outline the geometric factors, which affect the radiographic image.
82. Demonstrate the ability to take acceptable intraoral and extraoral radiographs.
83. Identify oral radiographic landmarks.
84. Process dental radiographs.
85. Identify and discuss processing errors.
86. Mount radiographs.
87. Outline the properties, indications and limitations of selected dental materials.
88. Assess patient’s needs and select appropriate dental materials.
89. Manipulate common dental materials in both laboratory and clinical situations.
90. Interpret the rules and regulations of Kentucky State Dental Practice Acts.
91. Describe the legal and ethical considerations of dental health practice.
92. Demonstrate the interviewing process in preparing for dental auxiliary employment.
93. Demonstrate basic management skills utilized in dental auxiliary employment.
94. State the reasons why continued professional development is important.
95. Perform coronal polishing

Competencies unique to Dental Hygiene

• Demonstrate the process of performing a periodontal examination.
• Describe, discuss and apply principles of instrumentation for examination and scaling procedures.
• Discuss appropriate polishing agents and demonstrate the proper procedures for their use.
• Assess patient data, develop and implement a dental hygiene treatment plan.
• Demonstrate scaling procedures.
• Discuss and apply the principle of root planing.
• Demonstrate the maintenance of oral appliances and remove hard deposits by hand instrumentation.
• Demonstrate clinical competency in the treatment of patients in relation to assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (emphasizing periodontal conditions and special patient needs).
• Provide for patient’s needs by recognizing age related conditions and providing individualized treatment regimes in a professional manner.
• Demonstrate ultrasonic instrumentation.
• Identify and describe clinical and radiographic abnormal conditions that involve the oral cavity, head and neck regions.
• Collect appropriate data to be utilized for differential diagnosis.
• Relate pathological conditions to their causes.
• Explain the process of wound healing.
• Explain the significance of various illnesses and/or drugs as recorded on a medical/dental history.

• Explain the relationship between pathological conditions and their therapeutic agents.
• Explain therapeutic agents commonly used in the management of the dental patient.
• Discuss and evaluate periodontal changes, which may result from traumatic periodontal conditions.
• Explain the systemic factors involved in periodontal disease and the modifications required in dental treatment.
• Differentiate between endo-perio syndrome and periodontitis when given radiographs.
• Explain the advantage and limitations of non-surgical periodontal treatment.
• Explain the role of the hygienist in the prevention, diagnosis, therapy and maintenance of periodontal disease.
• Describe surgical therapy to include general principles, wound healing, soft tissue procedures and osseous defects.
• Systematically integrate and analyze data to proficiently assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient treatment.
• Demonstrate the selection of a patient who meets criteria established by the regional board examination agency for the clinical board examination.
• Determine objectives, identify resources and discuss methods used to establish community dental health programs.
• Describe the current issues that affect the planning of public health programs.
• Describe the financing of dental programs, cost of dental care and financial implications of various dental delivery systems.
• Interpret and utilize dental biostatistics and epidemiology data commonly used in community studies.
• Prepare and implement lesson plans for dental health education presentations for specific target groups.
• Prepare, utilize and evaluate various forms of instructional media for health education presentations.
• Administer local anesthesia and nitrous oxide.