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Dental Hygiene (510602)

Degree: Associate in Applied Science, AAS

Overview

The Dental Hygiene and Expanded-Duty Dental Assisting programs at Florence-Darlington Technical College are accredited by of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association

Commission on Dental Accreditation
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 440-4653

The Dental Hygiene program is an Associate’s Degree program that is five semesters in length and is comprised of didactic, clinical, and laboratory courses offered at the Health Science Campus. Students will experience real-life patient interactions through clinical courses and will have the opportunity to work with a variety of patients of diverse backgrounds. Students will also have the opportunity to hone their clinical skills in an on-site, fully-functioning, dental hygiene clinic. Dental hygiene students will be able to study and practice all procedures they will be licensed to perform, including scaling (cleaning) teeth above and below the gum-line, polishing structures above the gum-line, performing infiltration anesthetic procedures, teaching oral hygiene instruction, nutritional counseling, and performing all duties of an Expanded-Duty Dental Assistant.

Who is eligible to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program?
Any student who has completed or will complete the following courses with a GPA of 2.5 by end of the Spring Semester:

  • BIO210 - Anatomy and Physiology I
  • BIO211 - Anatomy and Physiology II
  • CHM 105 - General and Organic Biochemistry
  • ENG 101 - English Composition

In the Real World

As a dental hygienist, an individual has the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, including:

  • Being employed in a general dental practice under the general supervision of the dentist.
  • Being employed in a periodontal practice under the general supervision of a periodontist.
  • Being employed to provide services in hospitals, nursing homes, and public health clinics.
  • Furthering their education to teach dental hygiene in dental schools or dental hygiene education programs.
  • Research of dental-related products,
  • Office management and business administration.
  • Sales and marketing of dental-related equipment and materials.

 

Career Placement

At FDTC, we believe that education deserves results - that’s why we want to watch our students succeed in the real world. Florence-Darlington Technical College works diligently to match students with relevant jobs in our community so that they can put their hard-earned education to work. We partner with successful alumni and local businesses to ensure our students get the best possible career upon graduation. Our Career Services Office offers a variety of services to help students succeed including: resume coaching, on-campus recruiting & career fairs, online job postings, professional development workshops, personality evaluations, internship placement assistance, and other online career building resources. We encourage all students to schedule a meeting with a Career Services Coach at (843) 661-8075 to explore their post-graduation opportunities. Find out about what Career Services can do for you. What does your future look like?

Learning Goals/Objectives

Dental Hygiene Program Outcomes:

  1. Dental hygiene graduates will demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination.
  2. Dental hygiene graduates will demonstrate the necessary assessment and instrumentation skills required to successfully pass the CRDTS Clinical Examination in Dental Hygiene.

Dental Hygiene Program Student Learning Objectives:

  1. Communication: Dental Hygiene graduates will be able to communicate effectively with a variety of patients from diverse backgrounds, in addition to peers and other dental health care providers.
  2. Professionalism: Dental Hygiene graduates will exhibit ethical and preferred values that mirror the ADHA Code of Ethics in a variety of situations.
  3. Critical Thinking: Dental Hygiene graduates will be able to apply knowledge to assess, plan, implement, evaluate and document programs and activities to benefit individual patient needs.
  4. Quality and Safety: Dental Hygiene graduates will demonstrate adherence to state and federal laws, recommendations and regulations in providing quality dental hygiene care using safe and effective dental hygiene practices.
  5. Life Long Learning: Dental Hygiene graduates will develop an intellectual interest and desire for continual learning both within and beyond formal education and demonstrate ability to self-assess learning needs.
Want to enter this program? Fill out a college application and you're on your way!

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