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Students must be certified in basic life
support procedures prior to entering the clinical sequence.
Once a student has been admitted to DEN
105, courses must be completed in semester sequence, without
interruption. Any student who misses a semester will not
be permitted to continue in the program until approval has
been obtained (if granted) from the Admissions and Academic
Standards Committee of the Dental Hygiene Department. Procedural
information may be obtained from the Department Chairperson
of Dental Hygiene in Gleeson Hall.
A grade of "C" (2.0) or better must be
maintained in all courses with a DEN, BIO, or CHM prefix.
A failure in a clinically related area constitutes withdrawal
from the Dental Hygiene Curriculum.
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign
Language) Examination with a minimum score of 500 or 218
will be required as a condition for entrance into the Dental
Hygiene program for:
a) applicants who are foreign born high
school seniors and have ESL (English as a Second Language)
courses in high school and
b) applicants with secondary credentials
from a foreign country, regardless of any coursework completes
in the United States.
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TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR ADMISSSION
AND RETENTION
Dental hygiene education requires that the accumulation
of scientific knowledge be accompanied by the simultaneous
acquisition of skills essential to the profession. The curriculum
is stressful requiring both emotional stability and physical
stamina.
Candidates seeking enrollment into the Dental Hygiene program
at Farmingdale State University must meet the safety and technical
standards in the following areas: communication, observation/sensory,
motor, intellectual-conceptual, and behavioral-social attributes.
Communication: The student must possess the ability
to communicate effectively in English using reasonable grammar
and syntax in both oral and written formats. In addition,
the student must notice and appreciate both verbal and nonverbal
communication when performing dental hygiene care. Examples
of communication include but are not limited to:
- Effectively obtain a patient’s history
- Accurately interpret data from medical records
- Document pertinent observations
- Interact effectively with members of the health care team
- Explain alternative treatment options
- Communicate directions during and after treatment
Observation/Sensory: Students
must be able to observe a patient accurately, both at a distance
and close at hand. In addition, the student must have the
functional use of the senses of vision, touch, hearing, and
smell which are necessary in assessing patients and maintaining
their safety. Examples of observation/sensory skills include
but are not limited to:
- Auditory ability to monitor vital signs.
- Visual ability to determine variations in color, shape,
texture and consistency i.e. early signs of inflammation,
skin changes (pallor, cyanosis and ecchymosis).
- Visual acuity to read charts, records, small print, handwritten
notations and instrument markings.
- Tactile ability must be sufficient for assessment and
performance of dental hygiene procedures, i.e. calculus
detection, tooth defect identification.
- Palpation of pulses
Motor: The student is required to perform gross and
fine motor movements, maintain consciousness and equilibrium,
and possess the physical strength and stamina which are necessary
to provide safe patient care. The candidate should have full
manual dexterity including the functioning of both arms, both
wrists, both hands and all fingers. Examples of motor skills
include but are not limited to:
- Instrumentation skills requiring dexterity i.e. grasping,
fingering, pinching, pushing, pulling, holding, extending,
and rotation
- Controlled intraoral and extraoral hand movements of less
than one millimeter
- Operation of foot controls for low speed handpieces, ultrasonic
scalers, air polishers etc… .
- Responding rapidly to emergency situations (cardiac arrest,
respiratory arrest, falls)
- Transferring patients
- Protect and remove patients from an area in the event
of a fire or disaster
Intellectual-conceptual: The student must possess
the ability to problem solve, establish a plan of care, set
priorities, calculate, measure, analyze and synthesize objective
as well as subjective data. These critical skills are essential
for providing quality dental hygiene care. In addition the
candidate must possess the ability to understand and comprehend
three dimensional and spatial relationships. Examples of intellectual-conceptual
skills include but are not limited to:
- Calculate the variations in milliamperage, kilovoltage,
distance and exposure time on the resulting dental radiograph
- Measure clinical attachment loss
- Develop care plans based on individual patients needs
- Utilize appropriate instrument adaptation
Behavioral-social attributes: The student must possess
emotional stability and flexibility, which will enable him/her
to develop the ability to function effectively in stressful
situations. This includes the ability to adapt to changing
environments, exercise sound judgment, complete assessment
and intervention activities and develop sensitive interpersonal
relationships with patients, families and others responsible
for health care.
Examples of these behavioral and social attributes include
but are not limited to:
- Ability to express empathy
- Ability to think and act rationally during a crisis
- Demonstrate appropriate behavior towards staff, peers
and patients according to societal norms
- Maintaining confidentiality
- Accepting constructive criticism
Admission to the dental hygiene program is open to all qualified
individuals in accordance with the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation
Act (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). However, due to the rigors
of the curriculum and the immense responsibility for safe
patient treatment a student can be denied admission to the
dental hygiene program or disenrolled from the program if
accommodating the student’s disability would pose a direct
threat to patients or would compromise the academic integrity
of the program.
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BACHELOR
DEGREE PROGRAM
Admission Requirements: Associate
Degree in Dental Hygiene from an Accredited Program; license
to practice dental hygiene; GPA to be considered.
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Program
