Dental Hygiene, AAS

Program Description

Code 228 - 77 Credits

The Dental Hygiene program is designed to prepare a competent dental hygienist within two years (five semesters) as a full-time student. KCC is committed to the development of students through service-learning and civic engagement. The Dental Hygiene department incorporates several courses where service-learning opportunities are embedded within the courses.

Dental hygienists are oral health care professionals who provide educational, preventive, and therapeutic services in a variety of health care settings including private practices, school systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, research centers, business and industry.

Dental hygienists provide many oral health services including non-surgical periodontal therapy, oral prophylaxis, fluoride therapies, pit and fissure sealants, nutritional and tobacco cessation counseling, and taking intraoral/radiographic images. The State of Michigan allows a dental hygienist to administer local anesthesia and nitrous oxide conscious sedation under the direct supervision of a dentist.

The dental hygiene profession is an integral part of the health care team. Dental hygiene practitioners must be able to effectively interact with patients, other professionals, and the community. They must be able to apply current concepts to changing societal and oral health needs. KCC is committed to educating dental hygienists who will appreciate cultural diversity and respect for the individual, and demonstrate the highest standards of honesty, integrity, accountability, and ethics.

Accreditation and/or State Board Approved

The Kellogg Community College Dental Hygiene program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation http://www.ada.org/en/coda. Students are eligible to take the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination and the regional board examination by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (ADEX Exam) in their second clinical year. At the completion of the program, students receive an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Dental Hygiene.

Admissions

See the following link for program admission information: http://www.kellogg.edu/admissions/allied-health-admissions/.

Clinical Education Access Requirements

Students formally accepted to participate in Allied Health, Emergency Medical Services, or Nursing programs are required to comply with clinical access requirements prior to, and potentially during clinical education placement in a hospital, outpatient clinic, or other clinical education provider. The Program’s Director or Coordinator will provide students with detailed direction and timeline for completing all clinical access requirements.

• Students are required to undergo a physical examination, immunizations, a drug screen and criminal background check.*
• Students are required to secure and maintain CPR certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) from American Heart Association or Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers from American Red Cross throughout their clinical education participation.
• Students are required to maintain professional liability insurance according to College policies as required by clinical education providers. The College ensures students are covered with professional liability insurance with the cost collected through lab fees.
• Students are required to adhere to the uniform and personal appearance standards according to program policies determined by clinical education providers.

* It should be noted that the State of Michigan requires a criminal background check prior to obtaining a health professions license (effective October 1, 2008). Students who have been convicted of a crime may have difficulty obtaining state licensure.

Clinical access requirements are determined by the College according to the policies of clinical education providers.

Clinical education providers reserve the right to impose additional requirements, at any time, to ensure the safety of patients, employees, and students.

Students participating in clinical education are not employees of a clinical education provider or of the College, and therefore are not covered by Workman’s Compensation insurance. It is highly recommended that students maintain personal health insurance while enrolled in an educational program.

Compliance and cost of clinical access requirements are the responsibility of the student.

Latex Environment Statement

Students participating in Allied Health, Emergency Medical Services, or Nursing courses are likely to have contact with latex throughout their educational experience. Due to the broad range of equipment, manikins, materials and supplies used in the College’s practice and simulation laboratories, and within a vast number of hospitals and other clinical education facilities, students with latex allergies considering any of these programs should direct questions to their physician prior to applying to the program to ensure safe participation in a latex environment.