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Dental Hygiene - A.A.S.

Clinical Development • Low Faculty/Student Ratio • General Ed Courses taken online or at MVCC • Highly qualified faculty • ADA Accredited • Excellent Career Opportunities Dental Hygiene Admissions Requirements Dental Hygiene brochure [pdf]

Dental Hygiene is a growing profession that offers a number of opportunities to men and women of all ages and cultural backgrounds. The interrelationship between oral and general health coupled with a growing aging population creates a continued demand for qualified hygienists who are capable of providing individualized, comprehensive dental health care and oral health counseling for patients of all age groups.

SUNY Canton's program is an ADA accredited program that provides students with both the knowledge base and the clinical skills to treat a diverse population of patients. SUNY Canton has partnered with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) to offer this jointly registered program in Rome, New York.

The clinical and lab courses are taught at the Veteran's Administration facility located at 125 Brookley Road, Rome, New York. Depending upon the semester, students spend 8-15 hours a week in the clinical setting learning, practicing and mastering the functions written in the NYS Dental Practice Act. The students progress from practice on typodonts and fellow students to providing oral health services to patients from within the community. A dentist and several registered dental hygienists who hold advanced degrees closely supervise the students as they interact with the patients in the clinic.

Accreditation:

• Accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. SUNY Canton's program has been granted the accreditation status of "approval without reporting requirements". The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted by calling (312) 440-2547 or by sending a written correspondence to CODA 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. You may also visit their website at http://www.ada.org
• The program is also registered with the NYS Education Department, Office of Professions.

Students in this Major:

• Perform all phases of dental hygiene care, including assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation, based on accepted scientific theories and research.
• Are prepared to provide the services outlined in the NYS Dental Hygiene Practice Act under the general supervision of a dentist.
• Develop skills to communicate effectively, professionally and respectfully with their peers, the faculty and staff, other health care professionals, and their patients.
• Maintain and respect the confidentiality of all patient information; and provide therapeutic interventions with cultural sensitivity and without discrimination.
• Develop critical thinking skills and are prepared to pass the National Dental Hygiene Exam and the North East Regional Board with 75% proficiency.
• Are expected to conform with the ADHA's Professional Code of Ethics while attending all classes, labs, and clinics, when completing all community service learning projects; and upon graduation from SUNY Canton when working in the field.

Career Opportunities:

• Private dental offices
• Hospital dental clinics
• Military Installations
• Nursing homes, residential assisted livingn facilities, and rehabilitation centers
• Pharmaceutical Sales
• County and state health departments
• School based programs in the public and private school systems

Potential Salary:

• The average annual salary for a full-time hygienist nationwide is $56,700; with an average annual salary of $48,000 - $52,000 in the Syracuse and Utica areas.

Admission Requirements:

• Refer to the table of high school course prerequisites for admission. Admission is selective based on academic credentials. A committee will review qualified appllicants beginning in early Feburary.
• Applicants must have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Applicants not meeting the pre-requisites may enroll in a preparatory curriculum at SUNY Canton.  Once all pre-requisite courses are completed, with a minimum "C" grade or higher and an overal GPA of 2.75, the student may apply for admission into the Dental Hygiene Program.
• Specific Admission Requirements for the Dental Hygiene Program
• Dental Hygiene Pre-requisites at Community Colleges[ pdf ]

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (Curriculum 0545)

Semester I Credits

Semester II Credits

Semester III Credits

Semester IV Credits

* Fulfills writing intensive requirement.

• A minimum grade of C (75) is required for all DHYG and BIOL courses to continue in the program.
• Once matriculated into the dental hygiene program students must complete the program within 4 years.
• A DYHG and/or BIOL course may only be repeated one time before losing matriculation in the program. A withdraw is considered one attempt. If the student fails a second time, he/she will lose matriculation in the program and will be required to apply as a new applicant. The applicant is expected to begin as a first semester freshmen and will be considered only if space is available.
• Transcripts for students wishing to transfer from another ADA accredited dental hygiene program will be evaluated on an individual basis. Students are required to provide course descriptions and a list of course requirements to aid in this evaluation. If it is determined that the course is equivalent to that offered at SUNY Canton credit will be awarded.
• Students must have CPR certification (Health Provider Status) prior to entering DHYG 157: Pre-Clinic; and all students must complete a NYS certified child abuse course prior to entering DHYG 258: Clinical Dental Hygiene III.
• During the pre-clinical and clinical courses, students will practice and develop their clinical skills in the campus clinic. Freshmen are scheduled 8 hours a week and the sophomores will be scheduled for 15 hours a week. Students perform these skills on typodonts, fellow students and patients that visit the clinic. Dental Hygiene students must be willing to sit as a practice patient for his/her partner and must receive medical clearance prior to doing so.
  
• Although the department has a patient coordinator who will assist in the scheduling of patients, the dental hygiene student is ultimately responsible for finding new patients and treating a diverse group of patients. Students are also expected to participate in some enriching clinical experiences off campus; and are responsible for their own transportation to and from these sites.
• Applicants for NYS licensure must be a US citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residency in the US. The applicant must also be of good moral character. Anyone convicted of a crime or who has committed an act which raised question as to his/her moral character will be subjected to review by the state. SUNY Canton strongly encourages anyone with a prior conviction to contact the Office of Professional Discipline. We do not want you to complete the coursework only to discover that you may be denied NYS licensure. For additional information you can visit the NYS Education Department, Office of Professions website at www.op.nysed.gov/dent.htm.
• Residency Requirements:  Students must complete Clinical Dental Hygiene II (DHYG 257) and Clinical Dental Hygiene III (DHYG 258.)

Dental Hygiene
Program Director
Pamela Quinn
315-336-3484
quinnp@canton.edu