MCCCD Program Description

Pre-Clinical Dental Hygiene

Course: DHE120

First Term: 2015 Fall

Lec + Lab 6 Credit(s) 12 Period(s) 10.2 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Introduction to the dental hygiene profession and the process of care. Infection control, patient assessment, preventive treatment and dental hygiene instrumentation are practiced. Students are introduced to self assessment skills and quality improvement.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Discuss the significant events related to the development and current status of the dental hygiene profession. (I) 2. Recognize ethical and professional behaviors. (I, XV) 3. Practice supportive self-care behaviors. (II) 4. Use appropriate terminology to explain basic dental hygiene procedures. (II, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XII, XIV) 5. Operate and maintain dental equipment. (III) 6. Demonstrate infection control protocol in the dental environment. (IV) 7. Comply with the current recommended standard precautions and guidelines of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Occupational Safety and Prevention (OSAP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for patient and clinician safety and well-being. (IV) 8. Demonstrate ergonomic principles in proper operator/patient positioning. (V) 9. Interpret medicodental histories. (VI) 10. Perform extra-oral, intra-oral (EOIO) assessments. (VI) 11. Identify the anatomical landmarks of the oral cavity. (VI, VII) 12. Recognize normal, atypical and abnormal oral, gingival and periodontal conditions. (VI, VII) 13. Identify the components of a complete periodontal assessment. (VII) 14. Identify existing teeth, restorations, pathologic conditions and occlusion. (VIII) 15. Prepare a dental hygiene care plan. (IX) 16. Discuss the characteristics of dental instruments and armamentarium. (X) 17. Demonstrate proper instrumentation techniques of explorers, periodontal probes, scalers, and curets. (XI, XII) 18. Recognize dental stains and rationale for tooth polishing. (XIII) 19. Perform tooth polishing on clinical crowns of teeth. (XIII) 20. Apply topical fluorides. (XIV) 21. Maintain complete and accurate treatment records. (VI, VII, VIII, XII, XIII, XIV) 22. Examine learning outcomes as a foundation for maintaining competency and quality improvement. (XV)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Profession of Dental Hygiene A. Discuss historical events B. Development of the profession C. Current dental hygiene practice 1. Levels of supervision 2. Scope of practice 3. American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) 4. ADHA Code of Ethics II. Self-Care Behaviors A. Oral hygiene care B. Systemic health care III. Dental Equipment A. Identification of parts B. Operation C. Maintenance IV. Infection Control A. Personal protective equipment B. Standard precautions C. Disinfection D. Sterilization V. Ergonomics and Treatment Positioning A. Operator B. Patient C. Dental equipment VI. Initial Patient Assessment A. Medicodental history B. Vital signs C. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification D. Extra-oral and intra-oral examination E. Documentation VII. Periodontal Assessment A. Gingival evaluation 1. Normal vs. diseased 2. Etiologic/contributing factors 3. Gingival description B. Periodontal evaluation 1. Normal vs. diseased 2. Etiologic/contributing factors 3. Recession 4. Introduction to periodontal case type C. Use of indexes 1. Bleeding index 2. Plaque index 3. Calculus charting D. Documentation VIII. Dental Assessment A. Existing dentition B. Occlusal evaluation C. Restorations D. Pathologic conditions E. Documentation IX. Dental Hygiene Care Plan A. Adult B. Child X. Dental Instruments and Armamentarium A. Nomenclature B. Manufacturers C. Numbering systems D. Design features E. Ancillary equipment XI. Principles of Instrumentation A. Grasp B. Fulcrum C. Angulation D. Adaptation E. Activation XII. Instrumentation Techniques A. Detection instruments 1. Mirror 2. Explorers 3. Probes B. Calculus removal instruments 1. Scalers 2. Curets C. Documentation XIII. Tooth Polishing A. Types of stain B. Patient selection C. Principles of abrasion D. Armamentarium E. Technique F. Documentation XIV. Topical Fluoride Application A. Patient selection B. Fluoride selection C. Technique D. Documentation XV. Self-Assessment A. Goal setting B. Evaluation criteria C. Outcome evaluation D. Plan for improvement

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 24, 2015

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.