DENH 1040 - Principles I: Foundations of Dental Hygiene

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course is the first in a series of principles courses providing students with fundamental dental hygiene theory.  Topics include the history, philosophy, theories, and ethics relevant to the dental hygiene discipline. Students will also study patient assessment and education, etiology and prevention of oral diseases, infection/exposure control, and hazardous materials, patients’ rights, and the management of patient records. Acceptance into the Dental Hygiene Program is required.
MnTC Goals
None

Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): DENH 1045  
Recommendation: None

Major Content
1. History of Dental Hygiene

2. Dental Hygiene Process of Care (A.D.P.I.E.)

3. Patient Assessment including:

1. Personal, dental and medical history
2. Health status
3. Dental assessment
4. Periodontal assessment
5. Risk assessment
6. Intra and extra oral exam
7. Oral hygiene status

4. Cariology

5. Patient education and counseling

1. Health promotion and disease prevention
2. Indices
3. Use of oral health devices and products

6. Legal aspects of dental hygiene practice; training related to:

1. HIPAA
2. Infection control
3. Patients’ rights
4. Documentation of the patient record

7. Introduction to cultural competency and health literacy

8. Documentation and management of the dental patient’s record

9. Evidence-based decision-making

10. Emergency Management
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

1. discuss the theory of dental hygiene.

2. describe the history of dental hygiene and current roles in the profession of dental hygiene.

3. identify infection control practices as define by OSHA and the CDC.

4. identify emergency management strategies.

5. discuss each element of comprehensive patient assessment.

6. discuss the dental hygienist’s role in health promotion and disease prevention.

7. compare preventive dentistry products and techniques.

8. recognize appropriate management and legal requirements of the patient record.

9. select appropriate dental hygiene strategies based on patient characteristics.

10. discuss the influence of culture and health literacy in health care practices.

11. discuss evidence-based decision-making.
Competency 1 (1-6)
None
Competency 2 (7-10)
None

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