2023-2024 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Dental Hygiene, AAS


Program Description

Code 228 - 75 Credits

The Dental Hygiene program is designed to prepare a competent dental hygienist within two (2) years (five (5) 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.

Service-Learning Requirement

Students who obtain an Associate degree or an Associate of Applied Science degree will be required to complete a service-learning experience. The final grade in the course must qualify for academic credit in order to receive the service-learning endorsement. Please contact an Academic Advisor for courses that offer a service-learning experience, or search in the class schedules.

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: https://kellogg.edu/academics/areas-of-study/health-sciences/dental/.

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 providers. 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 professional 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.

Positive Drug Screen Statement

Applicants who earn admission into a health science program must complete a drug screening test. This test checks for the presence of ten substances which are as follows:

  • Marijuana
  • Amphetamines
  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Cocaine
  • Methadone
  • Methaqualone
  • Opiates
  • Phencyclidine
  • Propoxyphene

Students with a positive drug screen will be deemed ineligible to participate in clinical education.  Furthermore, as clinical education is a critical requirement of nursing, allied health, and emergency medical services programs, the student will be dismissed from their current program of study.  For students who would like to be considered for re-admission, they should refer to their program’s policy of re-admission and direct questions to the program director. 

Program Learning Outcomes


  1. The graduate demonstrates interpersonal communication skills to function successfully in a multicultural work environment with diverse populations.
  2. The graduate makes professional decisions affecting the practice of dental hygiene that satisfy legal, societal, and ethical principles.
  3. The graduate applies quality assurance mechanisms to ensure continued commitment to accepted standards of care.
  4. The graduate demonstrates effective time management skills.
  5. The graduate integrates knowledge of basic science, psychosocial, dental and dental hygiene science in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.
  6. The graduate uses critical thinking skills and comprehensive problem-solving to identify oral health care strategies that promote patient health and wellness.
  7. The graduate has experience in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating community-based oral health programs, including health promotion and disease prevention activities.
  8. The graduate recognizes the need for personal and professional growth and development.
  9. The graduate possesses the knowledge and willingness to address perceived deficiencies in self.
  10. The graduate analyzes, selects, obtains, and records assessment data on the general, oral, and psychosocial health of a variety of patients, using methods consistent with medico-legal principles.
  11. The graduate uses critical decision-making skills to reach conclusions about the patient’s comprehensive dental hygiene needs based on all available assessment data.
  12. The graduate develops individualized care plans that are specialized, comprehensive, culturally sensitive and acceptable to all parties involved in care planning using a collaborative approach to record accurate, consistent, and complete documentation of oral health services provided.
  13. The graduate provides dental hygiene care that includes preventative, educational, and therapeutic services designed to achieve and maintain oral health.
  14. The graduate evaluates the effectiveness of the implemented clinical, preventative, and educational services.

 

Required General Education Courses


All Students who obtain an Associate degree or an Associate of Applied Science degree must complete the FYS 101 - First-Year Seminar   course with a grade of a C or higher. This degree requirement can also be achieved by earning a degree from an accredited institution or transferring 24 or more credits from another accredited institution applicable to their degree. See an Academic Advisor, or connect with the Integrative Learning Department, for course completion and/or any questions pertaining to the FYS course.

Information:


All Dental Hygiene coursework must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher to meet graduation requirements.

For more Dental Hygiene program information, see the program webpage: https://kellogg.edu/academics/areas-of-study/health-sciences/dental/.

To apply to the Dental Hygiene program and begin mapping your course sequence, use this link advising@kellogg.edu to make an appointment with an academic advisor.