Dental Hygiene | Allegany College of Maryland

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What will you learn?

As a dental hygiene student, you will learn how to:
- Review health histories, examine head, neck, and oral tissues
- Perform oral cancer and vital signs screenings
- Expose, process, and interpret dental radiographs (x-rays)
- Remove deposits from teeth
- Apply preventive agents such as sealants and fluoride to teeth
- Teach patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain good oral health
- Provide nutritional counseling
- Administer local anesthesia and nitrous oxide

What will you do?

Graduates are qualified for positions as dental hygienists and may serve in the following roles:
- Clinician - Provide direct patient care in collaboration with other health professionals in private dental practices, community based clinics, hospitals and long term care facilities, and schools
- Educator - Use educational theory and methodology to educate competent oral health care professionals in a clinical or classroom setting or as a corporate educator
- Researcher - Conduct studies to test new products, procedures, or theories for accuracy and effectiveness in universities, corporations, or government agencies
- Administrator or manager - Apply organizational skills, manage resources, evaluate health programs in clinical, educational or corporate settings
- Corporate - Product sales and research, Corporate educator
- Public Health - Enhance access to care in community health programs funded by government or nonprofit organizations
- Entrepreneur - Initiate or finance new oral health-related enterprises such as practice management, consulting, professional speaker or writer

Why ACM?

Discover what others are saying about ACM's Dental Hygiene program – click an image below.

Program Details

A licensed dental hygienist is a health care professional, oral health educator and clinician who utilizes scientific knowledge and methods to provide preventative, educational and therapeutic services to support the control of oral diseases and the promotion of oral and overall health.

The Dental Hygiene program is a two-year, full-time, daytime program that prepares students to take national, regional and state licensure exams in dental hygiene. Allegany College of Maryland Dental Hygiene Department operates a dental hygiene clinic where students gain clinical experience on site while serving the dental hygiene needs of patients in the tristate area.

Discover more...

Credit Catalog

Blood Pathogen

Dental Application Package

Patient Care

PLTW Articulation

Accreditation

The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation will review complaints that relate to a program's compliance with the accreditation standards. The Commission is interested in the sustained quality and continued improvement of dental and dental-related education programs but does not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeals for individuals in matters of admission, appointment, promotion or dismissal of faculty, staff or students.

A copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission's policy and procedure for submission of complaints may be obtained by contacting the Commission at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678 or by calling 1-800-621-8099 extension 4653.

The program has been granted the status of “approval without reporting requirements.”

Admissions Criteria

In order to be eligible to apply to the Dental Hygiene program, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 and MUST complete the following fifteen (15) college credit hours with a “C” or better:

Course Credits:
Chemistry 100 or Chemistry 101		4 credits
Biology 201(Human Anatomy & Physiology)		4 credits
(or Biology 207 and Biology 208)
Biology 204 (Microbiology)		4 credits
English 101		3 credits

Laboratory science courses taken more than 5 years prior to application will not be considered.

Acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program is competitive and applicants will be ranked according to GPA’s in the required pre-requisite coursework listed above. In addition, although not required to be eligible for admission, additional points will be added in the ranking system for each of the following required program courses that have been completed: Math 109: Probability and Statistics, Psychology 101: General Psychology, Sociology 101: Introduction to Sociology, Speech 101: Speech Communication.

Program Goals

The graduating dental hygienist must use and advance professional knowledge and skills to serve the patient and public using sound ethical judgments based on evidence-based knowledge.
The graduating dental hygienist must promote lifestyle changes of individuals and society to attain optimal health utilizing a combination of educational, economic, organizational, and environmental strategies.

The graduating dental hygienist must demonstrate the skills necessary to carry out the Dental Hygiene Process of Care which include assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of diverse patient populations.
The graduating dental hygienist must contribute to improving knowledge, skill, and values of the profession of dental hygiene.

Learning Outcomes

Integrate the ADHA Code of Ethics in all endeavors.
Comply with all state and federal laws, recommendations and regulations governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene.
Communicate effectively with individuals and groups from diverse populations both verbally and in writing.
Serve all patients without discrimination, appreciating the diversity of the population.
Assume responsibility for dental hygiene actions based on accepted scientific theories as well as the accepted standard of care.
Provide accurate, consistent, and complete documentation for assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of dental hygiene services.
Ensure the privacy of the patient during treatment and maintain the confidentiality of records.
Provide quality assurance mechanisms for health services.
Promote and role model to the public preventive health behaviors necessary for optimal oral and general health and wellness.
Utilize an interdisciplinary approach to refer patients who may have a physiological, psychological, and/or social problem for a comprehensive evaluation.
Identify the oral health needs of individuals and assist them in the development of appropriate and individualized self-care regimens.
Assess the oral health needs of the community and the quality and availability of resources and services.
Plan, implement, and evaluate community service programs in a variety of settings.
Evaluate the outcomes of community-based programs and implement strategies to improve access to care.
Evaluate reimbursement mechanisms and their impact on the patient’s access to oral health care.
Participate in the public policy and/or legislative process.
Provide screening, referral, and educational services that allow patients to access the resources of the health care system.
Provide dental hygiene services in a variety of settings.

Participate in professional organizations and advance the profession through leadership and community service activities.
Identify and participate in alternate careers for dental hygienists in nontraditional settings.
Evaluate professional issues and scientific literature in order to make evidence-based decisions that advance the profession of dental hygiene.
Assume the responsibility for professional growth through lifelong learning.
Promote the values of the profession to the public and other organizations both within and outside of the dental profession.

Assessment - Systematically collect, analyze and accurately record data on the general, oral and psycho-social health status of a variety of patients using methods consistent with medical-legal and ethical principles.
- Obtain, review, update and interpret an accurate medical, family, social, radiological, pharmacological, and dental history, recognizing any health conditions that require special consideration prior to or during dental hygiene care.
- Obtain and record accurate vital signs.
- Perform a thorough extra- and intra-oral examination, recognizing abnormalities.
- Accurately perform an examination of the teeth and record the results.
- Evaluate the periodontium and identify conditions that compromise periodontal health.
- Evaluate the need for radiographs and accurately interpret findings.
- Identify patients at risk for a medical emergency and take appropriate precautions to minimize those risks.
- Recognize predisposing and etiological risk factors that require intervention prevent and control disease.
- Assess patient concerns, goals, values, and preferences to guide patient care.
- Analyze health conditions and medications that impact overall patient care.

Dental Hygiene Diagnosis - Use critical decision making skills to identify existing problems, potential problems, etiologic and contributing factors, as well as establish realistic goals and treatment strategies to facilitate optimal oral health.
- Analyze and interpret the data to formulate a dental hygiene diagnosis in conjunction with the dentist and other health professionals as appropriate.
- Obtain and document consultations as appropriate.

Planning - Collaborate with the patient, dentist, and other health professionals to formulate evidence based, individualized treatment plan.
- Establish a prioritized, planned sequence of care based on the patient’s health, oral conditions, standards of care, and the patient’s desires for outcome.
- Discuss with the patient the etiology, prognosis, treatment, and treatment alternatives, allowing for modifications when appropriate.
- Obtain informed consent.

Implementation - Provide treatment that includes preventive and therapeutic services designed to achieve and maintain oral health and assist the patient in achieving oral health goals.
- Expose, process, and interpret radiographs of diagnostic quality.
- Adhere to accepted infection control procedures.
- Apply principles of instrumentation and ergonomics to remove deposits without trauma to hard or soft tissues.
- Control pain and anxiety through use of accepted techniques.
- Provide all dental hygiene services that can be performed legally in the state of Maryland.
- Manage medical emergencies.

Evaluation - If implemented, evaluate the effectiveness of preventive, therapeutic, and educational services and modify as needed.
- Determine the outcomes of dental hygiene services using indices and examinations.
- Evaluate patient satisfaction with the dental hygiene care received and the treatment outcomes.
- Determine appropriate preventive maintenance intervals.
- Provide additional treatment and referrals based on the evaluation findings.

Student Achievement

National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) Pass Rates (first attempt) for previous 5 years

Year	First Attempt Pass Rate	Overall Pass Rate
2021	93.8%	100%
2020	89.5%	100%
2019	100%	100%
2018	94.7%	100%
2017	94.7%	100%

Dental Hygiene students have won the Maryland and District of Columbia “It’s Hygienic” quiz bowl competition in 2017 and 2018.

Meet the Faculty

Our experienced, knowledgeable faculty and staff are excited to share their expertise with you and prepare you to succeed in the diverse, dynamic field of Dental Hygiene.

Cathy Wakefield
cwakefield@allegany.edu
Associate Professor and Program Director

301-784-5579
Allied Health 141

A.A., Allegany College of Maryland
B.S., West Virginia University
M.Ed., Frostburg State University

Colleen Heinrich
cheinrich@allegany.edu
Administrative Associate

301-784-5580
Allied Health 143

A.A.S., Allegany College of Maryland

Meghan Carnell
mcarnell@allegany.edu
Administrative Associate

301-784-5540
Allied Health 149

Amy Clem
aclem@allegany.edu
Clinical Instructor

301-784-5543
Allied Health 161

A.A.S., Allegany College of Maryland

Tina Courtney
tcourtney@allegany.edu
Clinical Coordinator