Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene

When you graduate from the School of Dentistry’s dental hygiene program, you will be prepared to:

• Apply a professional code of ethics in all endeavors
• Adhere to state and federal laws, recommendations, regulations, and safety practices in the provision of dental hygiene care
• Provide dental hygiene care to promote patient/client health and wellness using critical thinking and problem solving in the provision of evidenced-based practice
• Assume responsibility for dental hygiene actions and care based on accepted scientific theories and research as well as the accepted standard of care
• Continuously perform self-assessment for lifelong learning and professional growth
• Advance the profession through service activities and affiliations with professional organizations
• Provide quality assurance mechanisms for health services
• Communicate effectively with individuals and groups from diverse populations both orally and in writing
• Provide accurate, consistent, and complete documentation for assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of dental hygiene services
• Provide care to all clients using an individualized approach that is humane, empathetic, and caring
• Provide planned educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills and educational strategies to promote optimal oral health
• Initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion, health education, and disease prevention activities for diverse populations
• Systematically collect, analyze, and record data on the general, oral, and psychosocial health status of a variety of patients/clients using methods consistent with medico-legal principles
• Use critical decision-making skills to reach conclusions about the patients’/clients’ dental hygiene needs based on all available assessment data
• Collaborate with the patient/client and/or other health professionals to formulate a comprehensive dental hygiene care plan that is patient/client centered and based on current scientific evidence
• Provide specialized treatment that includes preventive and therapeutic services designed to achieve and maintain oral health
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented clinical, preventive, and educational services and modify as needed

As a dental hygiene student, you have a number of financial aid options, including scholarships, grants, loans, and Federal Work-Study awards.