Dental Hygiene Philosophy and Goals
The philosophy of the Dental Hygiene program at CCBC is to utilize a comprehensive, student-centered approach to educate individuals who as members of the health profession demonstrate a high level of knowledge, skills, and judgment.The goals of the Dental Hygiene program are as follows:
- prepare the dental hygiene student for gainful employment providing dental health care to a diverse community;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to apply the scientific and theoretical principles relevant to dental hygiene practice;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to perform routine dental hygiene procedures; non-surgical periodontal therapy; and other functions which are legally specified for the child, adolescent, adult, senior and special needs clients;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning, self-evaluation and contribution to the changing health needs of society;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to become critical thinking health care professionals who promote health and the prevention of disease by inquiring, evaluating and applying evidence-based knowledge;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to advance the profession through service activities, affiliations with professional organizations and continuing education;
- prepare the dental hygiene student to demonstrate a sound grasp of basic skills and knowledge in general education, biomedical sciences, dental sciences, and dental hygiene sciences;
- provide a high quality learning-centered educational program in dental hygiene leading to an Associate of Arts in Applied Science degree;
- recruit quality applicants who will exhibit successful passing grades in the dental hygiene curriculum and their respective national, regional and state examinations;
- promote a collaborative environment which supports professional development; and
- support the community by providing educational programs, preventive and therapeutic services to meet the needs of diverse groups.
