Mission Statement
The Mission Statement of the Program of Dental Hygiene is to consider each student's individuality and their abilities as future clinicians and equip them with the necessary skills to reach their potential; to provide an environment of quality education through the teaching, case-based learning, and the application of service through clinical experience and community outreach; to instill a desire to continue education necessary for the lifelong learner in this health profession; and promote a spirit that will contribute and enhance the dental hygiene profession through the association (ADHA).
Goals
- To develop a strong sense of community among students, staff, and faculty within the department.
- To continually strive to improve teaching and subsequently improve learning and critical thinking skills among department members. To provide students the opportunities to develop the reasoning, judgment, and leadership skills necessary to identify problems, develop solutions to problems, implement these solutions and evaluate effectiveness of these solutions.
- To educate individuals who are capable of meeting the needs of society, dentistry, and dental hygiene now and in the future by providing an effective learning environment which promotes knowledge of current health promotion and prevention programs.
- To provide students with experience in current technologies and the skills necessary to adapt to an increasingly complex and rapidly changing interdisciplinary health care system.
- To promote an appreciation of and sensitivity to the social, mental, intellectual, physical, and spiritual factors influencing the health and well-being of diverse populations by providing a strong theoretical base in the humanities, psychosocial sciences, basic sciences, and dental hygiene sciences.
- To apply expertise of department members in providing services that improve the dental and intellectual environment in the Northeast Tennessee and Southern region.
- To prepare dental hygienists who possess the moral and ethical values/behaviors necessary
for effective performance of responsibilities within dental hygiene, dentistry, and
society.
*American Dental Hygienists Association Code of Ethics - To instill the commitment to contribute actively to the betterment of the profession through professional involvement and continued education.
Competencies
The goals and objectives of the dental hygiene program are carried out through program competencies, which can be found in the Competency Statement.
Objectives
- Promote activities that foster interaction and relationships between students, staff, and faculty within the department, college, and university.
- Foster a team approach to the provision of dental care.
- Develop alternative teaching styles and strategies to foster higher order learning and accommodate a variety of learning styles.
- Support faculty development to provide role models for lifelong learning.
- Demonstrate skills required to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate dental hygiene therapies and programs.
- Prepare graduates to assume leadership roles within the profession.
- Incorporate technology and scientific data to present rationale for the clinical practice of dental hygiene.
- Train hygienists to serve in roles designed to meet the needs of a variety of populations in a changing society.
- Stay current in published research related to efficacy, and effectiveness of diagnostic tests, therapies, and prognoses used in dental hygiene therapy.
- Prepare graduates for advanced professional or graduate education.
- Provide state of the art equipment for provision of dental hygiene therapy.
- Expand computer based teaching strategies to enhance experience with current information systems.
- Foster interdisciplinary communication through clinical and service activities.
- Provide opportunity for a broad liberal arts foundation.
- Foster understanding of diversity through treatment of multicultural populations.
- Recruit department members from diverse populations.
- Provide educational resources for the dental community
- Develop educational programs to meet the needs of the general population of Northeast Tennessee.
- Offer dental services to under-served populations and the community at large.
- Recognize and uphold the laws and regulations governing the profession.
- Represent dental hygiene with high standards of personal conduct.
- Hold professional patient relationships in confidence.
- Utilize every opportunity to increase public understanding of oral health practices.
- Participate responsibly in the professional association and uphold its purposes.
- Maintain professional competence with a personal commitment to lifelong learning.