Dental Hygiene, AS

Major Code: 5301

Program Description

A dental hygienist is a preventive oral health professional licensed to provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic services to the public. The Dental Hygiene program at BridgeValley prepares students to be licensed in any jurisdiction and awards an Associate in Science degree upon successful completion of all prerequisite and major courses.  The program is located on BridgeValley’s Montgomery campus with modern classroom and clinical facilities. The program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Program Mission, Goals and Competencies

Mission Statement

The program is designed to prepare students for a career in dental hygiene with emphasis on educating students for clinical dental hygiene practice and preparation for future baccalaureate studies. Faculty and students are committed to a culture of excellence in education, service and patient care while maintaining the highest levels of professionalism and teamwork.

Program Goals

• Provide a quality educational program meeting the standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation and reflecting relevant and current dental hygiene practice to ensure competent individuals for licensure and clinical practice of dental hygiene.
• Provide opportunities for quality patient care experiences in the dental hygiene clinic and off campus enrichment sites for diverse populations.
• Encourage participation in community service and health promotion initiatives.
• Provide an academic experience which allows students to pursue advanced degrees.
• Promote an environment committed to professionalism, career development and lifelong learning.

Program Competency Statements

The BridgeValley Community and Technical College Dental Hygiene Program Competencies identify knowledge, skills and behaviors graduates must possess as entry level practitioners. The statements are utilized by faculty to assess, develop and modify curriculum and educational methodologies to ensure the graduate is prepared to assume their role as a competent member of the dental health care team. Competency statements are identified in 4 domains: Professionalism, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Community Involvement and Patient Care.

Program Assessment

The Dental Hygiene program is committed to assessment of faculty effectiveness and student performance in support of our emphasis on excellence in dental hygiene education. Program outcomes are assessed systematically and comprehensively by didactic course reviews, clinical performance evaluations, externally administered board examinations, advisory committee/employer feedback, patient surveys, student/graduate surveys and faculty evaluation. General outcomes are assessed via portfolio.

Transfer Baccalaureate Option

All BridgeValley coursework is designed for transfer to a baccalaureate institution.  In addition to a multitude of online and traditional baccalaureate options, a formal articulation agreement is in place with the following:

• West Liberty University

Careers

Dental hygienists may assume the roles of clinician, educator, researcher, administrator/manager and advocate. Dental hygienists are employed clinically in private dental practice, hospitals, clinics, institutions, public and private schools, and the armed forces. Dental hygienists are also employed as health educators in various public health settings.

 https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm 

Admissions

The Dental Hygiene Program is a limited enrollment program which admits one class each fall semester.  An admissions committee selects candidates upon the following published criteria.

The following prerequisites must be in progress or completed with a “C” or better to be considered for admission to the Dental Hygiene program.

• BIOL 201 Human and Anatomy and Physiology I
• BIOL 202 Human and Anatomy and Physiology II
• CHEM 110 Fundamentals of Chemistry (no lab requirement)
• MATH 119 Foundations of Algebra
• ENGL 101 English Composition I
• COMM 100 Oral Communications
• PSYC 101 General Psychology
• SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology
• DENT 100 Introduction to Dental Hygiene
• GNST 115 College Success and Career Exploration in Health

In addition to meeting the prerequisites all applicants must submit:

• Online Dental Hygiene program application.
• BridgeValley online application.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• 20 hours of dental hygiene shadowing experience. Verification form is available on the website.
• Official copy of previous college transcripts.

Current students enrolled in BridgeValley Community and Technical College will be given first consideration for admission when having the same qualifications as an off-campus student.

 

Bloodborne Pathogens/Radiation Safety

Department policies related to bloodborne pathogens, radiation safety, HIPAA, and Ethics are available for review at http://www.bridgevalley.edu/dental-hygiene-policies.

 

Dental Hygiene program application, recommendation letters and shadowing verification form are due by January 31st for first consideration for fall admission.

 

All items must be scanned and emailed to dental.hygiene@bridgevalley.edu 

Official transcripts must be sent directly to the BridgeValley Admissions Office.