Dental Hygiene
The Dental Hygiene program will educate students to provide patient dental care to the public. Didactic, clinical and laboratory instruction is designed to develop students to be valuable members of the Dental Health Team.
Program graduates will become licensed Registered Dental Hygienists (RDH). They use educational theory and methodology to analyze oral health needs. Educational services learned will develop promotional strategies and delivery of oral health for individuals and groups. As clinicians they will assess, plan and implement treatments for prevention, intervention and control of oral diseases while practicing in collaboration with other professionals. Hygienist provides routine patient care and treatment for beginning to advanced stages of periodontal disease.
Pre-requisite course work is listed on the CSI website. The program will take students two years to complete and requires admission application. Ten students will be selected each year to develop competent skills. The College of Southern Idaho’s Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Students will prepare for the successful completion of the National Dental Hygiene Exam and the Western Regional Board Exam (WREB) which are administered by the Joint Commission of the American Dental Association.
Additional information and current application requirements (including deadlines) can be found at: http://hshs.csi.edu/dental_hygiene
You must be a high school graduate or have completed the GED/HSE before applying to this program.
To promote success on the certification/licensure examination(s), all Required Courses must be passed with a grade of C or better.
Gainful Employment data for this program may be found on the department web page: https://www.csi.edu/ge/DentalHygiene
Upon successful completion of the Dental Hygiene program, a student will be able to:
- Students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Dental Hygiene practice.
- Students will demonstrate clinical proficiency by developing patient treatment plans to provide comprehensive oral hygiene care.
- Students will learn and develop leadership and organizational skills to facilitate community based service.
- Students will study research journals and analyze scientific methods to aid in the selection of appropriate therapies and educational methods, manage practice problems and apply advances in patient care.
- Students will foster team building, communication and Integrity necessary to contribute to clinical employment settings.
- Students will prepare for successful completion of the National Dental Hygiene Exam and the Western Regional Clinic Board Exam (WREB).
Program Application Required: Yes
Sample Career Opportunities: Dental Hygienists