The course will address issues surrounding the access to care in alternative settings with advanced dental hygiene practitioners, current trends in community dental health, cultural competency in healthcare delivery, dental healthcare financing and reimbursement systems, international healthcare, and preventive strategies to improve oral health. Students will gain insight into evaluating scholarly healthcare literature and evidence-based research, importance of the research process, research designs and methods, basic biostatistical measurement, and analysis. Application of the information is displayed in the writing of an evidence-based research paper.
Prerequisites
- Prepare and present appropriate oral health presentation clinically, in the classroom, or in an alternative seeing to a targeted population. (PC 1.1-1.4)
- Discern and manage the ethical issues facing dental hygiene practice in a rapidly changing environment. (PC 1.1 - 1.4)
- Contribute to improving the knowledge, skills, and values of the profession.(PC 3.2 – 3.4)
- Provide planned educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills, and educational strategies to promote optimal health. (PC 4.1 – 4.4)
- Initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations in a variety of settings. (PC 5.1 – 5.6)
- Systematically collect, correlate, critically analyze, and record data on the general, oral, and psychosocial health status of a variety of clients using methods consistent with medico-legal-ethical principles. (PC 6.1 – 6.5)
- Formulate a comprehensive dental hygiene care plan that is evidence-based and client centered. (PC 7.1 – 7.7)
- Provide specialized care which includes educational, preventive, and therapeutic services designed to assist the client in achieving and maintaining oral health goals. (PC 8.1 – 8.9)
- Critically evaluate the effectiveness of implemented educational preventive, and therapeutic service and make modifications if necessary. (PC 9.1 – 9.5)
- Provide dental hygiene care while maintaining a demeanor of professional and ethical behaviors. (PC 1.1, 1.2)
- Employ proper infection control protocol to prevent the transmission of disease.(8.1)
- Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques when treating the target population. (5.9)
- Apply the principles of record management for thorough, accurate, and legible documentation. (9.1-9.5)
- Asses, plan, implement and evaluate effective dental hygiene strategies and interventions. (6.1-6.15)