Dental Hygiene

Program Director: Deborah Brown
Office: Multipurpose Building, Room 216
Address: 802 E. Lavaca St., Beaumont, TX 77705
Phone: (409) 880-8867/880-8846
E-mail: dentalhygiene@lit.edu

Dental hygienists provide dental health services that include cleaning (prophylaxis), oral cancer screenings, x-rays, pit and fissure sealants, patient education, and nutritional counseling. The traditional workplace setting for dental hygienists is a private dental office; however, hygienists also provide dental hygiene care in other settings such as prisons, public health facilities, schools, and long-term care facilities. The role of the Dental Hygiene Program is to prepare highly competent dental hygienists to meet the oral health care needs of the public.

The 68 SCH Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditations, American Dental Association, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611, 312/440-4653, www.ada.org.

The Dental Hygiene Program has a limited capacity and selects students based upon defined criteria. Students must take pre-enrollment courses and are encouraged to take general education courses and support courses prior to applying to the program.

Application forms, selection criteria and admission procedures are available online. Applications to the Dental Hygiene Program are due on February 1st of each year.

Once accepted into the Dental Hygiene Program, the curriculum is two years in length beginning in July and ending in May. During enrollment, students attend lecture, laboratory, and clinical courses. Clinical practice occurs in the Dental Hygiene Clinic on the LIT campus.

Dental hygiene students must 1) maintain a minimum of a 'C' in all courses; 2) maintain a 2.3 GPA; 3) complete a portfolio; 4) complete the Recommended Program of Study; 5) complete community service requirements; and 6) satisfy LIT graduation requirements. Each of the requirements must be satisfied for a student to graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene.

Graduates must successfully pass the Dental Hygiene National Board Examination, a regional or state clinical exam, and a state jurisprudence exam in order to apply for a license to practice.

Awards

• Dental Hygiene, A.A.S