DH 150 - Oral Health Services II

Credit Hours: 4

Students will gain experience in the dental hygiene process of care while providing oral health services for patients. This course includes three modules, and each module must be passed in order to pass DH 150. A lecture module and a clinic module will cover patient management, instrumentation techniques including hand and power instrumentation, post-operative instructions, care and sharpening of instruments, production of diagnostically acceptable radiographs, polishing of teeth and stain removal, application of topical fluorides and anesthetics, instructing patients on oral self-care, self-assessment and critical thinking for the evaluation of patient care, dental operatory maintenance, sterilization and disinfection techniques, use of electronic patient records, and current issues affecting dental hygiene practice. Students must recruit patients for scheduled clinic sessions. Practical exercises in the management of medical emergencies will be conducted. A second lecture module will prepare students with the verbal and motivational skills needed for oral health education for client groups of all ages. Discussions include writing objectives and developing lesson plans for group-specific oral health instruction. Students will work collaboratively in small groups in a service-learning opportunity to develop and deliver a presentation to a target audience of children in the community. Other topics will include dentifrices, mouth rinses and fluorides, and re-mineralization therapies. A physician-completed SUNY Allied Health form is also required. The minimum passing grade for the clinical module is “C-” for competency assessments plus completion of specific clinical requirements. The minimum passing grade for both lecture modules is “C-“.

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

apply principles of professional, legal, and ethical conduct, along with effective and culturally competent professional communication skills in all interactions with patients, peers, and other healthcare professionals;
demonstrate the dental hygiene process of care (assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate, and document) to an advanced beginner level of competency in the clinical setting within a designated timeframe;
utilize safe practices during patient treatment and demonstrate OSHA standards for infection control in the dental setting;
self-assess clinical performance to develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate improvement;
appraise a target population, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate an oral health education program with respect to age, nutritional needs, oral hygiene and caries prevention techniques, fluoride, habits, behaviors, and problems with different age groups;
analyze research utilizing evidenced-based, decision-making, and research methodologies to address a specific research question; and
identify current issues impacting dental hygiene practice.

Prerequisites: All required first semester courses in the Dental Hygiene curriculum must be passed.
Corequisites: All required spring semester, first year courses in the Dental Hygiene curriculum, EG118/119 or current BLS certification.
S (N)

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