Division of Dental Hygiene

Program Information

History

Founded in 1961, the UNM Division of Dental Hygiene prepares students to provide preventive oral health services in a wide-variety of settings: private practice, public health, school systems, hospitals, HMO's and long-term care units, research, industry, government agencies, armed forces, universities and colleges, and international clinics and schools.

The Division of Dental Hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible for national, regional, and state board licensure examinations.

Career Information

Most people first meet dental hygienists in private dental offices where dental hygienists perform many critical services that detect, prevent, and treat diseases of the mouth. But a career in dental hygiene offers multiple opportunities in multiple settings.

Dental hygienists must have multiple and complex abilities to provide comprehensive dental hygiene care in all these settings, and new ones that are emerging every day.

 
 Clinician
• Perform oral health assessments
• Provide nutritional counseling and self-care programs to prevent disease
• Examine head, neck, and oral regions for disease
• Take and interpret X rays and perform other diagnostic tests
• Provide services that help patients prevent gum diseases and cavities
• Perform oral cancer and blood pressure screenings
• Provide oral health instructions
• Place and remove temporary fillings and periodontal dressings
• Remove sutures
• Administration of local anesthesia
• Conduct oral cancer screening biopsies
 Educator
• Teach in dental hygiene and dental school programs
• Present continuing education seminars
• Write/edit educational materials
• Act as educational consultants to dental companies
 Administrator/Manager
• Consult for dental product companies and/or insurance companies
• Hold administrative positions in education, public health, hospitals, or professional organizations
• Sell dental products and supplies
• Manage or own dental personnel placement services
• Evaluate and facilitate processing of dental insurance claims
• Initiate and evaluate community dental health programs and resources
 Researcher
• Write grant proposals
• Develop research methodology
• Collect and analyze data
• Conduct clinical research
• Conduct research surveys
• Write articles and scientific papers for professional publications
 Consumer Advocate
• Help consumer groups obtain access to care
• Develop networking systems to match existing resources with health care needs
• Advise consumers on insurance policies, commercial products, and political issues affecting oral health
 Change Agent
• Influence business and government agencies to support health care efforts
• Advocate oral health programs for individuals, families, or communities
• Act as lobbyist
• Can be law consultants (malpractice review, expert witness)
 Public Health Dental
  Hygiene
Public health is a growing new field. Dental hygienists can pursue graduate public health education at both schools of public health and dental schools. The competency objective for public health specialists are:
• Health policy and program management and administration
• Research methods in dental public health
• Oral health promotion and disease prevention
• Oral health services delivery systems

Where do public health dental hygienists work?

Federal Health and Human Services Department
Programs--The United States Public Health Service (PHS) commissions bachelor-degree-level dental hygienists as PHS officers. The agency also provides services for federal prisons, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Merchant Marines.
ThThe Office of Human Development Services (HDS)
Oversees the Head Start Program. With Maternal and Child Health Grants for Oral Health Projects for Children--Implemented through state health agencies.
Migrant Centers Program
Services for migrant workers
Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT)
Implemented through state agencies and funded by Medicaid
Veterans Affairs Hospitals
State Health Departments
State Boards of Education
University Public Health Programs

For Further Information On The Dental Hygiene Profession Contact: American Dental Hygienists' Association, 444 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3400 Chicago, IL 60611 (800) 243-2342 or by email at www.adha.org.