DHYG

This course provides a forum for the student to identify and explore current events, knowledge, and skills relevant trends in Dental Hygiene. The course examines a wide range of current topics from historical, philosophical, theoretical, ethical, social, economic, research and professional points of view. Students will be expected to analyze issues, describe influencing factors, and propose resolutions and strategies, including the impact on oral healthcare.

This course addresses the prevalence, etiology, and consequences of early childhood caries (ECC). Students will learn to assess health risk factors, recognize the various stages of ECC, and counsel patients and their guardians on preventative techniques and services. Additionally, this course will discuss common oral developmental issues from infancy through adolescence.

This course will provide students with the ability to recognize that substance abuse and drug addiction are serious health issues and the student will begin to understand their role in early intervention and prevention strategies. Students will review the various signs, symptoms and aspects that substance use disorders can have on patients. Students will understand how to make distinctions, begin safe dialogues, document patient comments and oral findings, and provide resources and follow-up support to patients with substance use disorders.

This course provides the student the basic understanding of oral health policies, how they are developed and implemented throughout the United States (US). Specifically, students will gain knowledge and skills to work closely with other health care professionals in maximizing oral health of the US population, including underserved and other vulnerable populations. Dental professions’ role in advocating for optimal oral health will be discussed along with health promotion, population health, social responsibility and cultural acceptance and understanding in public health settings with respect to issues of health disparities in the US. National, State and Local programs and agencies related to dental policies and advocacy will be highlighted.

This course focuses on the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, appropriate summaries and displays of epidemiological data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the oral health of populations. Emphasis is on the use of epidemiology in the understanding of etiologic factors, modes of transmission, and pathogenesis. Topics include application of these disciplines in the areas of oral health services, oral screening, genetics, how health literacy and oral health literacy are measured, and environmental policy. The influences of epidemiology and biostatistics on legal and ethical issues, and it includes the discussion of how oral health literacy can influence long-term oral health outcomes.

This course provides students with the necessary scientific foundation of knowledge and skills required to practice evidence-based dentistry (EBD) effectively as well as how to evaluate, implement and share EBD findings with other dental healthcare providers. Specifically, students will gain knowledge and skills to form critical questions, access relevant scientific literature, interpret, assess, integrate, and apply data and information in the process of clinical problem solving, reasoning, and decision making for both patient care at the individual level and oral health promotion and community advocacy at the population level.

This course, taken in the final term prior to graduation, provides students the opportunity to work closely with the instructor to select and examine a Dental Hygiene/Oral Health topic. Students will be required during the research process to use various resources including professional literature, both printed and electronic. This work will culminate in the production of a major research paper and presentation.