Dental Hygiene (DENH)

DENH 301. Dental Hygiene Theory I. 5 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture and 6 laboratory/clinical hours. 5 credits. Designed to familiarize the student with the scope, role and responsibilities of the dental hygiene profession. Topics include an introduction to the educational and therapeutic services as well as the philosophy of preventive oral health and its relevance to the practice of dental hygiene. Also introduces the clinical knowledge and skills needed to perform fundamental clinical dental hygiene procedures, instrumentation, patient education and preventive services.

DENH 302. Dental Hygiene Theory II. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Continuation of DENH 301. Designed to provide the student with knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and includes instruction in some more advanced dental hygiene skills, including dental hygiene diagnosis, treatment planning, oral signs of abuse/neglect, topical medicaments and use of sonic and ultrasonic instrumentation.

DENH 307. Research Methods and Study Designs. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Designed to guide dental hygiene students in becoming competent in the use of scientific literature as a part of lifelong learning and evidence-based decision-making in patient care. Covers foundational materials in research design and biostatistics, including the development of testable hypotheses, data collection, data summary, and evaluation and interpretation of data found in scientific literature. Students will critique scientific literature from peer-reviewed journals and participate in reflection of current literature on assessment of patients with special needs. Students will also take part in an online collaborative investigator training initiative for protecting human subjects in research.

DENH 312. Community Oral Health Education and Promotion. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 301. Enrollment is restricted to students in the dental hygiene program. Introduces preventive oral health strategies, methods, materials and principles of instruction in health education and communication. Emphasizes oral health promotion as related to individual patients and community groups as well as professional peer-group presentations. Introduction to evidence-based decision-making in dental hygiene practice.

DENH 327. Clinical Dental Hygiene I. 4 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture and 3 clinical hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 301. The clinical practicum introduces dental hygiene services as part of a comprehensive care model within the School of Dentistry and reinforces the knowledge and clinical skills learned in the prerequisite course. Students apply basic instrumentation and patient treatment skills in a clinical setting. Weekly seminars provide opportunity for students to problem solve and critically discuss and assess clinical experiences.

DENH 337. Clinical Service Learning. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 clinical hours. 2 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 327. Students will participate in an organized service activity that meets community-identified needs. Students are assigned rotations in clinical practice settings in underserved areas, where they are exposed to patients of varied ethnic, socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, as well as special patient populations not typically encountered in the School of Dentistry clinics. While continuing clinical education, students have the opportunity to make oral health care more accessible to marginalized groups. Throughout this unique learning experience, students are exposed to the benefits of potential practice in public health dentistry. Students will reflect on the service activity to increase understanding and application of course content and to enhance a sense of civic responsibility.

DENH 342. Nutrition. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Designed to provide students with an overview of the chemistry of the major nutrients as well as provide a practical approach to the concepts of nutrition. Emphasis will be placed on developing positive preventive health behaviors and providing nutritional education to dental patients in a clinical setting. The interrelationships of diet, nutrition and dental and systemic diseases will be discussed along with current food trends, consumer aspects of food choices and basic nutrition principles. A general review of dietary supplements also will be provided.

DENH 347. Clinical Dental Hygiene Summer Clinic. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture and 4.5 clinic hours. 2 credits. Clinic time may be weekly, in block rotation or variable schedule. Prerequisite: DENH 327. The clinical practicum continues dental hygiene services as part of a comprehensive care model within the School of Dentistry and reinforces the knowledge and clinical skills learned in the prerequisite. Students will further develop their clinical skills and utilize didactic learning of pain control for dental hygiene students including local anesthesia and nitrous oxide administration. Students will assess, create a dental hygiene diagnosis, plan care, implement and evaluate their dental hygiene care plan and patient treatment skills in a clinical setting. Weekly seminars provide opportunity for students to problem solve and critically discuss and assess clinical experiences. This course is designed to be taken in the summer between the junior and senior years.

DENH 401. Dental Hygiene Theory III. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Dental specialty content is presented: concepts and techniques in specialty areas that will enable the dental hygienist to consider implications for dental hygiene treatment planning with relation to periodontics, orthodontics, endodontics, preventive, cosmetic and restorative dentistry, pain control, oral surgery, prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry and implantology. Through case scenarios students develop treatment plans with regard to the dental hygiene process of care. Students discuss patient education needed for each phase of care appropriate for the informed consent of the patient.

DENH 402. Dental Hygiene Theory IV. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This course is designed to present the principles of dental practice, including dental team management strategies, business office management, increasing use of computers in dentistry, OSHA and its impact on practice management, insurance coverage for dental care, and employment opportunities and career options.

DENH 407. Evidence-Based Dental Hygiene Practice. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Designed to guide dental hygiene students in becoming competent in the use of scientific literature as a part of lifelong learning and evidence-based decision-making in patient care. Covers foundational materials in research design and biostatistics, including the development of testable hypotheses, data collection, data summary, and evaluation and interpretation of data found in scientific literature. Students will critique scientific literature from peer-reviewed journals and participate in reflection of current literature on assessment of patients with special needs. Students will also take part in an online Collaborative Investigator Training Initiative for protecting human subjects in research.

DENH 411. Dental Public Health I. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 312. This course is designed to provide dental hygiene students with an introduction and overview of basic concepts of dental public health, community dental health education and community program planning. Course topics include oral health trends, dental indices, prevention and control of oral diseases in a community, and community dental health programs. Students become involved in the application of concepts such as program assessment, design, implementation and evaluation. This course will prepare the dental hygienist for the role of dental public health practitioner, educator, and consultant and resource person in community settings. Community service experience is designed to prepare students to function in a variety of community health settings. Emphasis on special populations of elementary school children, geriatric, institutionalized, hospitalized and individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities. The course serves as a foundation for DENH 412.

DENH 412. Dental Public Health II. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture and 3 clinical/service-learning project hours. 2 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 411. This hybrid course is designed to help senior dental hygiene students apply the knowledge gained in the prerequisite course about assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating a dental health program for a community site. Students will work in groups of four to visit a community site to design and implement a dental health program. This course will prepare the dental hygienist for the role of dental public health practitioner, educator, and consultant and resource person in community settings. Field experience is designed to prepare students to function in a variety of community health settings. Emphasis on special populations of elementary school children, geriatric, institutionalized, hospitalized and individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities. Evaluation of this course will be through the development of a manual, site evaluation, group member evaluation and self evaluation.

DENH 422. Current Issues, the Law and Ethics. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This online course is designed to explore the ethics, jurisprudence and principles of dental hygiene practice. Students explore ethical issues and dilemmas in dental hygiene and health care delivery. This course strives to provide students with the foundations of ethical reasoning and decision-making in practices. The course fosters professional development and an understanding of the legal and ethical aspects of oral health care.

DENH 437. Clinical Dental Hygiene II. 5 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 clinical hours (3 clinical hours per credit). 5 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 327. A continuation of the clinical practicum; seminars and clinical experiences continue to prepare students to provide oral health care services in the private and public sector. Students participate in comprehensive care clinical experiences within the School of Dentistry. Advanced dental hygiene procedures are initiated and patient assessment, management skills and self-assessment are emphasized. Skill development in dental hygiene procedures continues; patient management skills as well as decision-making and problem-solving in relation to patient assessment, treatment planning and evaluation are emphasized. Course sequence provides the student with the opportunity to use and further enhance the knowledge and skills of dental hygiene practice and procedures in a clinical model that emphasizes comprehensive patient care and a foundation for transference of those skills to the work environment in the private and public sector. Note: A grade of PR is required in this course for continuation in DENH 447.

DENH 447. Clinical Dental Hygiene III. 5 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 clinical hours (3 clinical hours per credit). 5 credits. Prerequisite: DENH 437 with a grade of PR. A continuation of the clinical practicum; seminars and clinical experiences continue to prepare students to provide oral health care services in the private and public sector. Students participate in comprehensive care clinical experiences within the School of Dentistry. Advanced dental hygiene procedures are initiated and patient assessment, management skills and self-assessment are emphasized. Skill development in dental hygiene procedures continues; patient management skills as well as decision-making and problem-solving in relation to patient assessment, treatment planning and evaluation are emphasized. Course sequence provides the student with the opportunity to use and further enhance the knowledge and skills of dental hygiene practice and procedures in a clinical model that emphasizes comprehensive patient care and a foundation for transference of those skills to the work environment in the private and public sector.

DENH 449. Clinics in Dental Hygiene. 1-5 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 credits. Clinical/laboratory experiences offering the opportunity to use and further develop the knowledge and skills of dental hygiene practice.

DENH 450. Independent Study. 1-5 Hours.

Semester course; 1-5 credits. Independent study projects planned to meet the learning objectives of the student.

DENH 457. Clinical Service-learning. 2 Hours.

Yearlong course; 2 clinic hours (48-50 clinical sessions). 2 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the dental hygiene program. A course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets community-identified needs. During the course, students are assigned rotations in clinical practice settings in underserved areas. In these settings, students are exposed to patients of varied ethnic, socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, as well as special patient populations not typically encountered in the School of Dentistry clinics. Students have the opportunity to make oral health care more accessible to marginalized groups while continuing clinical education. Throughout this unique learning experience students are exposed to the benefits of potential practice in public health dentistry. Students will reflect on the service activity to increase understanding and application of course content and to enhance a sense of civic responsibility. Course graded as CO with no credit for fall semester; letter grade and credit assigned for spring semester.

DENH 460. Individual Plan of Study. 1-6 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-6 credits. This course is designed on an individual basis to accommodate remediation of a failed course. The course director will design course material to include self-paced learning, assignments, tests and clinic or lab activities necessary to equal the failed course content. Graded as pass/fail.

DENH 477. Special Topics in Dental Hygiene. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 credits. Designed around the interests of students, faculty expertise and availability of educational resources. Format may include intensive mini-courses or workshops.