Fifth Dental Hygiene Program In New Jersey Underway Sponsored by Delta Dental Of New Jersey
Dental Hygiene is a growing field in New Jersey and throughout the country October is Dental Hygiene Awareness Month
Parsippany, NJ - With help from a $240,000 grant from the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, the fifth dental hygiene program in New Jersey is underway at Burlington County College (BCC). The college now offers a two-year program leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree, with a major in dental hygiene.
Dental hygiene is a growing field in New Jersey and throughout the country. According to the American Dental Association, there will be a continued need for dentists to employ more dental hygienists to meet an increased demand for dental services. This demand is due to the public's emphasis on preventive oral care and people retaining their teeth longer.
"Hygienists play a valuable role in the dental industry - supporting dentists and providing valuable patient care through cleanings, preventive education and detection of disease," said Gene F. Napoliello, D.D.S., president of the Delta Dental Foundation. "The profession offers options and flexibility, which is why it continues to be a popular career path for those interested in entering the field of dentistry."
Delta Dental Foundation awarded grant monies in 2003, which were distributed over a three-year period. The last installment of $60,000 was made in summer 2005 in recognition of Burlington County College meeting its final milestone – program accreditation. Specifically, funding has been used to build and equip an instructional clinic facility in the Parker Building on the BCC Pemberton Campus to run an accredited, two-year associate degree program in dental hygiene. Purchases included dental treatment chairs, lighting units, sterilization equipment and cabinetry in the clinical area consisting of 12 fully equipped, four-handed sit-down treatment cubicles.
"We are grateful to Delta Dental of New Jersey for supporting our goals to further offer our students additional opportunities in the field of dentistry," said Linda Hecker, CDA, RDH, BS, MA, director of Dental Hygiene at BCC. "We now offer the only dental hygiene school in Burlington County. Along with providing our community with future dental hygienists, we can now also provide affordable dental services to Burlington's dentally underserved."
Dental hygiene students, supervised by faculty and dentists, will be offering students, faculty, staff and the local community dental X-rays during the fall 2005 semester. In spring 2006, services will be expanded to include dental cleanings. All services are anticipated to be priced at an extreme discount.
"Though our first semester has just begun, Delta Dental's donation has already been put to good use," continued Hecker. "During "Give Kids a Smile Day," February 2, 2005, we used the donated equipment from the dental hygiene program to treat over 100 local children and managed to donate over $22,600 worth of volunteer dentistry in one day."
DENTAL HYGIENIST PROFESSION
Who is the Dental Hygienist?
A dental hygienist is a prevention specialist, oral health educator and clinician who, as a co-therapist with the dentist, provides preventive, educational, and therapeutic services. As technology and preventive treatments continue to develop and expand, dental hygienists are assuming more duties and spending increasing amounts of time with patients during checkups.
What Are Hygienists Responsibilities?
The day-to-day responsibilities and clinical services a hygienist can perform vary according to individual state regulations. Duties may include:
- Expose, process, and interpret X-rays;
- Apply fluorides and sealants to the teeth;
- Teach patients proper brushing and flossing techniques;
- Clean and remove stains, plaque, and tartar from teeth;
- Counsel patients about proper nutrition;
- Review patient's health history and dental charting;
- Make impressions of patients' teeth for models of teeth used by dentists to evaluate patient treatment needs.
Where Do Hygienists Work?
Although about 70 percent of dental hygienists work in private dental offices, state licensing enables them to provide direct clinical service to patients or apply oral health knowledge in a number of settings including public health clinics, nursing homes, correctional institutions, and other long-term or managed-care facilities.
Job Security
The services that dental hygienists provide are needed and valued by a large percentage of the population. According to the American Dental Association, there is currently a great demand for dental hygienists and employment opportunities. Dentists will need to employ more dental hygienists to meet the increased demand for dental services due to the public's emphasis on preventive oral care and people retaining their teeth longer.
Salary
According to the BLS, average annual earnings for dental hygienists were $60,640 in 2004. Dental hygienists may be paid on an hourly, daily, salary or commission basis.
SOURCE: Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc.