The Mission and Goals of the Dental Hygiene program are to facilitate the development of professional, ethical, and competent dental hygienists who exhibit the following:

1. An awareness of their present and future roles and responsibilities within the profession and the community he/she serves.
    
2. The knowledge and clinical skills necessary to provide comprehensive care to the patients/clients.
    
3. A commitment to lifelong learning and professional development.
    

These are the competencies required for graduation from the Dental Hygiene program:

ETHICS
1.1: Apply ethical reasoning to dental hygiene

1.2: Comply with state and federal laws governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene

2.1: Assess, plan, implement and evaluate community-based oral health programs

2.2: Use screening, referral and education to bring consumers into the health care delivery system

2.3: Provides dental hygiene services in a variety of settings

3.1: Perform a comprehensive patient assessment and formulate a dental hygiene treatment plan based on
patient need

3.2: Provide comprehensive dental hygiene care by applying basic and advanced principles of dental hygiene

4.1: Critically analyze published reports of oral health research and apply this information to the practice of dental hygiene

4.2: Assume the roles of the profession (clinician, educator, researcher, change agent, consumer advocate, administrator) as defined by the ADHA

4.3: Advance the profession through leadership, service activities and affiliation with professional organizations

4.4: Commit to self-assessment and life-long learning in order to provide quality clinical care
 

For additional information please contact Tami Grzesikowski, Program Director, Dental Hygiene