Clinical Dental Lec/Lab (DEHC)

This pre-clinical course is foundational for all subsequent clinical courses and dental hygiene clinical practice. Students are introduced to the profession, professional conduct, and decision making. Instrumentation theory is applied in the pre-clinical setting. Psychomotor skills develop with extensive hands-on practice using all basic categories of dental hygiene instruments. Periodontal charting, assessment, basic ability to select appropriate instruments, and sequencing the instrumentation appointment is included. Upon completion of this pre-clinical course, the student moves into patient treatment on relatively non-complex patients in a closely supervised clinical environment.

This course reinforces the etiology, classification, treatment planning, and treatment of periodontal disease. Emphasis is on recognition and encompassing treatment of all classifications of diseases of the periodontium. The laboratory compliments and expands the lecture material to include analysis of computerized cases, advanced therapeutics, microbial testing, and advanced instruments specific to periodontally involved patients. This course allows the student to clinically prepare a case study on a selected periodontally involved patient to include a variety of assessments, therapeutics, and end point outcome analysis procedures.