Accreditation

The Columbus State Community College Dental Hygiene Program was established in 1998.

The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”.

The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at: 

Commission on Dental Accreditation
(312) 440-4653
211 E. Chicago Avenue,
Chicago, IL 606611-2678.
The commission website address: http//www.ada.org/en/coda

Third party comments considered can be submitted to the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation and must pertain only to the standards relative to the particular program being reviewed or policies and procedures used in the accreditation process. Comments will be screened by Commission staff for relevancy. For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency. For those individuals interested in submitting comments, requests can be made to the commission office for receiving standards and/or the Commission’s Evaluation Policies and Procedures. (EEP)

Competencies or Program Outcomes

Competencies are part of the practice of dental hygiene; including knowledge, professional attitude and psychomotor/communication skills. The six dental hygiene program outcomes must be performed at an acceptable or above level to demonstrate competence for entry level dental hygiene graduates. Upon completion of the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Dental Hygiene, the graduate will:

1. The Dental Hygiene graduate will possess the skills and knowledge to manage ethical and professional issues of dental hygiene practice.
2. The Dental Hygiene graduate must be able to acquire, evaluate and analyze information in a scientific and effective manner using critical thinking skills linking foundational knowledge to clinical patient care.
3. The Dental Hygiene graduate will be able to demonstrate written comprehensive, critical thinking, and skills for the application of assessment, dental hygiene analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation related to the provision of optimal preventive, therapeutic, and educational dental hygiene services to individuals of diverse populations.
4. The Dental Hygiene graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge of safe and effective patient care by adherence to proper infection control, HIPAA requirements and emergency protocol during the provision of client care.
5. The Dental Hygiene graduate will be able to initiate and assume responsibility for general health promotion and oral disease prevention through participation in community activities using appropriate interpersonal communication and educational strategies.
6. The Dental Hygiene graduate will be able to apply self-assessment skills in preparation for life-long learning. 

Dental Hygiene Program Philosophy

The term dental hygiene care is used to denote all integrated preventive and treatment services administered to the patient by the dental hygienist. The ability to plan and execute dental treatment is an art as well as a science. The science can be taught, but the art is a talent that must be developed and nurtured. The student of dental hygiene must learn to observe and evaluate signs of oral health and disease, and assess patient reaction and learning. The student must be able to apply principles from the biological, physical, social, behavioral and dental sciences in the care of the patient. It is the philosophy of the Columbus State Community College Dental Hygiene Program that educational and clinical services are mutually dependent and inseparable in the total dental hygiene care of the patient. This approach to dental hygiene will increase understanding and clinical expertise as the dental hygienist engages in the most challenging and rewarding of tasks, that of providing quality patient care which is safe, effective, and individualized.