Dental Hygiene Program Description
Perry Campus- 5454 OH-37, New Lexington, OH 43764
NOTICE: The next Dental Hygiene class will begin in Autumn 2024. Application to the program is a two-step process that begins with an application to Hocking College. The Dental Hygiene Program has an additional, separate application is available in the "Program Application" section of this page.
Students who complete the two academic years of full-time instruction in the Dental Hygiene Program will receive an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Graduates of the program will be eligible to take the National and Regional board exams and state laws exam to become a Registered Dental Hygienist.
The curriculum content includes courses in the following four areas: General Education, Biomedical Sciences, Dental Sciences and Dental Hygiene Sciences. Courses provide a thorough background in oral structure, development, pathology, disease prevention and progression and treatment.
The program emphasizes professional and ethical interactions with patients and other health professionals. Effective communication skills are gained through patient interaction in Hocking’s on-site dental clinic.
Upon completion of program application requirements, students will be eligible to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program.
Hocking College offers all-inclusive pricing and works with students to assure they have complete college funding, including financial aid, before they start classes. Please reference the course curriculum tab for program costs.
All-inclusive pricing includes the following:
PER SEMESTER
$300......Learning Fee
$20........Health Center Services
$75........Career Center Services
$140......Anesthesia Board
$455......NDHBE
OPTIONAL
$53......Parking
Pricing for housing and meal plans can be found here.
A Career in Dental Hygiene Provides a Sparkling Opportunity
The demand for dental services will increase as the population ages and as research continues to link oral health to overall health.
Employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow 20% from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Students interested in the dental hygiene program should be able to meet the following performance requirements:
- Professional Attitude
- Ability to visually identify color changes in oral tissues
- Ability to hear & understand a normal speaking voice without seeing the speaker’s face
- Physical ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
- Perform repetitive wrist motions
- Manual dexterity
- Maneuver in limited spaces
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Computer skills
Public Disclosure of Licensure
Hocking College offers courses, associate degree and certificate programs that may lead to professional licensure and/or certification. Successful completion of the programs listed on this page may potentially lead to professional licensure, registration or certification. Licensure, registration or certification may be global, national, or state-specific. This meets the requirements for the State of Ohio. Requirements for other states may vary. If you currently live in a state other than Ohio or intend to move to a state other than Ohio and use the education completed at Hocking College to sit for such an exam, be aware there may be additional requirements. Please contact the appropriate administering body and/or the college contact for the program to discuss your intentions.
The following outcomes are skills, behaviors
- Apply theoretical principles and perform procedures relevant to
the dental hygiene practice, routinely self-assessing performance abilities to ensure a high standard of care. - Determine the need and extent of patient-centered treatment utilizing critical thinking skills, including radiographic exposure, routine preventative procedures, periodontal therapy procedures, referral for additional assessment and/or treatment, response to medical/dental emergencies, and all other treatment needs.
- Utilize the dental hygiene process of care in the prevention and/or treatment of oral diseases: assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, and documentation.
- Apply oral health literacy utilizing analysis of current research literature to provide oral and overall health promotion to individual patients and the community using evidence-based information.
- Utilize standard precautions for infection control during all phases of appointment planning, patient interaction, and treatment.
- Discern and manage ethical issues (using Dental Hygiene Code of Ethics and federal and state laws), exercise sound clinical judgment, and collaborate with diverse populations of professionals and patients.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are statements of what a student will be able to do when they have completed a program. They represent the knowledge and skills a program has determined are most important for students to gain from that program and include both the Success Skills (institutional outcomes) and Program Outcomes. SLOs are specific and measurable so the program can accurately assess the degree to which students have achieved each outcome, and they align with college and institution mission and values. Data on the achievement of SLOs is used to make improvements in the program and increase student success.
Hocking College Institutional Learning Outcomes
1) Demonstrate sound critical thinking, information literacy and technological competency in the production of academic writing and presentations
2) Apply the methods of mathematical, statistical or analytical reasoning to critically evaluate data, solve problems and effectively communicate findings.
3) Demonstrate an awareness of the social, political and economic forces which shape individuals, institutions and communities in the modern world.
4)Understand social justice and the diversities and complexities of the cultural and social world past and present and come to an informed sense of self and others.
5)Demonstrate a foundation of knowledge in the natural sciences based on theory and laboratory skills.
6) Cultivate ethical values, personal wellness and personal learning strategies in the development of the whole person, mind, body and spirit.
7) Integrate content material to application in the workforce and apply discipline specific knowledge and skills to successfully transfer or effectively meet the expectations of internships, workplace, volunteerism and/or entrepreneurship endeavors.
8) Utilize the ethical and professional application of current information technology and tools effectively.
Program Outcomes
The following outcomes are skills, behaviors
- Apply theoretical principles and perform procedures relevant to
the dental hygiene practice, routinely self-assessing performance abilities to ensure a high standard of care. - Determine the need and extent of patient-centered treatment utilizing critical thinking skills, including radiographic exposure, routine preventative procedures, periodontal therapy procedures, referral for additional assessment and/or treatment, response to medical/dental emergencies, and all other treatment needs.
- Utilize the dental hygiene process of care in the prevention and/or treatment of oral diseases: assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, and documentation.
- Apply oral health literacy utilizing analysis of current research literature to provide oral and overall health promotion to individual patients and the community using evidence-based information.
- Utilize standard precautions for infection control during all phases of appointment planning, patient interaction, and treatment.
- Discern and manage ethical issues (using Dental Hygiene Code of Ethics and federal and state laws), exercise sound clinical
judgment , and collaborate with diverse populations of professionals and patients.
Board Pass Rates
|
National Dental Hygiene Board Exam (NDHBE) |
||
| Graduation Year | Number of Students | Pass Rate |
| 2021 | 18 | 100% |
| 2022 | 18 | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 17 | Waiting on results |
|
CDCA-WERB Hands-on and Case Study Written Regional Board Exam |
|||
| Graduation Year | Number of Students | Hands-on Pass Rate | Written Pass Rate |
| 2021 | 18 | 100% | 100% |
| 2022 | 18 | 100% | 100% |
| 2023 | 17 | 100% | 100% |
|
CDCA – WERB Anesthesia Certificate Board |
||
| Graduation Year | Number of Students | Pass Rate |
| 2021 | 18 | 100% |
| 2022 | 18 | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 17 | 100% |
|
Dental Hygiene Program Attrition Rates |
||
| Graduation Year | Number of Students | Attrition Rate |
| 2021 | 18/20 | 10% |
Testing is open to Hocking College students applying for any of the following programs: Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, or Physical Therapist Assisting. Prior to testing, the student must inform proctor of their program choice as each program has specialized coding
For questions prior to testing, please reach out to the site you registered for at:
barrowsr@xlqx.net or call (740) 753-7195.
TEAS testing dates Spring 2023. 7 Seats per session:
AM hours 9-1; PM hours 12-4
January - 7 sessions:
10th-AM session
12th -PM session
18th - PM session
20th - AM session
24th - PM session
26th - AM session
30th - PM session
February - 10 sessions
1st - AM session
3rd - PM session
7th - AM session
9th - PM session
13th AM session
15th - PM session
17th - AM session
21st - PM session
23 - AM session
27th - PM session
March - 10 sessions
1st - AM session
3rd -PM session
13th - AM session
15th - PM session
17th - AM session
21st - PM session
23rd - AM session
27th - PM session
29th - AM session
31st - PM session
NOTICE: The application deadline for Autumn 2024 will be May 31, 2024.
PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL INFORMATION IN THIS PACKET TO ENSURE YOU SUBMIT A COMPLETE APPLICATION. THE DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM WILL NOT CONSIDER AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT TO ENSURE THE APPLICATION IS COMPLETE.
Admission to the dental hygiene program is selective and competitive. Selection is based on a formula of specific criteria. The twenty (20) highest-ranking candidates will be offered program admission.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
To accomplish the objectives of the dental hygiene program, students must be able to meet the following performance requirements:
- Professional Attitude: It is important for a dental hygienist to interact professionally with patients, coworkers, employers, and other health care professionals. Therefore, if at any time during the application process it is determined that your attitude or actions are unprofessional, your application may not be considered for acceptance.
- Ability to visually identify oral tissue changes and evaluate treatment effectiveness is essential to the dental hygiene professional.
- Ability to hear and understand the normal speaking voice without viewing the speaker's face and take/hear blood pressure with a stethoscope.
- Physical ability to sit for prolonged periods of time, perform repetitive wrist motion for instrumentation, and move from room to room or maneuver in limited spaces.
- written and verbal communication skills to succinctly describe patient conditions, document findings in a patient record, and implement oral health teachings.
- Function safely under stressful conditions with the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment inherent in clinic situations involving patient care.
- Computer skills to use a variety of software programs and the internet for research and course projects.
Students entering the program must understand:
Dental health care workers may be exposed to a variety of microorganisms via blood, oral and respiratory secretions, and aerosols created during dental patient treatment procedures. These microorganisms may include the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HBC), Herpes Simplex type 1 and 2, Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the COVID19 virus. Health care workers may also be exposed to pathogenic bacteria that may include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, staphylococci, streptococci, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, and other viruses and bacteria-specifically, those that infect the upper respiratory tract. Infections may be transmitted in the dental operatory through contact with contaminated instruments, operatory equipment, or environmental surfaces: contact with airborne contaminants present in either droplet spatter or aerosols of oral and respiratory fluids. Effective infection control strategies are taught, monitored by faculty and practiced to prevent infection.
Students are required to provide proof of immunization to or be required to receive vaccinations prior to entering the dental hygiene program.
- Hepatitis B Vaccination
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (T-DAP)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
- Influenza
Students will also be required to have:
- Tuberculin Skin Test (Mantoux Method)- Titar Test for Hepatitis B
- CPR Certification
Contact Information
Statement Regarding Infectious Diseases:
Students will perform clinical work on real patients. There is the potential to be exposed to many types of communicable diseases. Precautions, known as infection control procedures, will be taught and strictly enforced to minimize risk and exposure. Hepatitis B vaccination will be required prior to patient treatment portions of the program. CPR certification will also be required.
Accreditation Affiliation
The Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Accreditation can only be granted by CODA.
Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) | 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611
(800) 621-8099
Accreditation without recommendations
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