Mar 29, 2024  
Spring 2018 Catalog 
    
Spring 2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

DH 250 - Oral Health Services V


Credit Hours: 5

This course consists of three modules and each module must be passed in order to pass DH250.  A clinical module will continue patient treatment experiences to strengthen technical skills, planning, time management, self-assessment and critical thinking.  Experiences will include the assessment and management of children, adolescents, special needs and geriatric patients, advanced instrumentation techniques, air polishing, chemotherapeutics, intraoral and extraoral dental radiography.  Students must recruit patients for treatment and recall patients to evaluate treatment outcomes. A lecture module will concentrate on professional practice topics including the structure of ADHA, legal aspects of dental hygiene practice, risk management, licensure requirements and procedures, health care provider/patient relationships, ethical dilemmas, resume writing, job interviewing techniques, employee/employer rights and obligations.  Another module will present clinically related subjects of emerging interest, topical reviews and dental specialty presentations.  Case studies will be utilized as a capstone activity designed to guide the development of critical thinking skills and the application of dental hygiene theory to comprehensive patient care.  Minimum passing grade for the clinic module is “C-“.  Minimum passing grade for the lecture modules is “C-“. 

 

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • independently practice and follow accepted infection control policies in accordance with the New York State Syllabus on Infection Control and procedures as stated in the Senior Competency Skills Packet;
  • collect assessment data based on patient’s health history, comprehensive periodontal examination, vital signs, and record patient data for advanced dental charting on the computer using critical thinking to determine best treatment for the patient;
  • differentiate between variances of normal and abnormal to include oral manifestations of chronic smoking and HIV infection;
  • classify a high risk caries patient, perform a dietary analysis, and analyze all risk factors.  Evaluate the risk factors and synthesize all data collected.  Present research results when formulating patient education and treatment based on the results;
  • evaluate the need for radiographs (using the Guidelines for Prescribing Dental Radiographs).  Expose, process, and evaluate diagnostically acceptable radiographs utilizing the Radiation Safety Protocol to identify existing oral conditions;
  • develop a dental hygiene diagnosis and communicate plan for dental hygiene services to the patient and dentist, treatment plan and present case presentation, encourage smoking cessation for all applicable patients, recognize physical and emotional signs of child abuse and the method for reporting suspected child abuse, determine treatment modifications/ homecare adaptations for the special needs patients and patients presenting with dental emergencies;          
  • identify the high risk periodontal patient.  Assess and manage periodontal disease through instrumentation techniques, ultrasonics, soft tissue management protocols, systemic antibiotics and locally applied chemotherapeutic agents, care and maintenance of dental implants, and dental hypersensitivity;
  • choose appropriate skills for comprehensive patient care to include proper use of the clinical software, imaging, ultrasonic tips for advanced periodontal therapy, placement of sealants, and application of adjunctive therapies for dentinal hypersensitivity, and control pain and anxiety during treatment;
  • independently (with supervision) provides treatment for children, adolescents, adults and geriatric patients in an efficient manner.  Evaluates clinical outcomes of dental hygiene interventions, refer patients as needed for consultation or care, as well as demonstrate organizational and problem solving skills;    
  • record all existing medical, oral conditions, assessment data and treatment procedures while maintaining patient confidentiality to include use of software imaging.  Utilize current insurance codes for all procedures and understand the significance of proper recording both on paper and in the electronic paper record;
  • assess, educate, provide treatment and document services to children when participating in a service learning opportunity to provide dental hygiene services to an underserved population;
  • evaluate the re-care patient and the effectiveness of treatment and homecare instruction;
  • evaluate one’s own clinical performance mid-semester and at the end of the semester to identify strengths and weaknesses;
  • accept professional responsibility for behaviors consistent with medicolegal requirements, ethical expectations, and demeanor as defined in the Code of Ethics and the Senior Competency Skills Packet and Daily Clinical Evaluation Form;
  • identify the legal duties of the dental hygienist to the patient and the liability issues concerning negligence, technical battery, maligning a patient, breech of contract and the need for professional liability insurance;
  • apply the laws and regulations pertaining to the practice of Dental Hygiene in NYS, identify steps to prevent malpractice lawsuits in dental hygiene practice and explain the divisions of law affecting the Dental Hygiene Practice Act;
  • describe the purpose and legal requirements for licensure and the nature of licensure examinations utilizing the NYS document:” Laws and Regulations Pertaining to the Practice of Dental Hygiene” for case study;
  • describe the six major roles for Dental Hygienists as defined by ADHA.  Evaluate the various employment opportunities and develop a formatted resume.  Role playing will be used to simulate interviewing techniques;
  • define, discuss and identify the three areas of ethics, the concepts of professional ethics, elements of professional codes, and the steps in solving an ethical dilemma.  Problem solving for cases in private practices will be explored utilizing the problem solving model;
  • discuss several issues affecting the Dental Hygiene Profession, implications for Dental Hygiene Practice and possible future solution; and 
  • analyze and evaluate topics/ experiences that will be presented to challenge the student’s critical thinking to develop decision making skills regarding patient care and treatment recommendations.


Prerequisites: All required fall semester, second year courses in the Dental Hygiene curriculum must be passed.
Corequisites: All required spring semester, second year courses in the Dental Hygiene curriculum and current BLS certification.
S (N)

Withdrawal from or failure of a required course prevents graduation from the curriculum. General education courses may be taken earlier than indicated but may not be taken later than the prescribed schedule.