Oakland Community College
Dental Student

About Our Program

Mission Statement

Oakland Community College’s Dental Hygiene program is dedicated to providing a student-centered learning environment focused on preparing students to succeed in the licensed practice of dental hygiene through the development of their psychomotor, cognitive and affective skills.

Degree Awarded

The program leads to an Associate in Applied Science Degree and is designated as an Extended Degree Program. The dental hygiene program at Oakland Community College has an articulation agreement with University of Detroit and student’s may transfer a maximum of 92.5 semester hours of credit. Such credit will apply to the Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene at the University of Detroit Mercy. For additional information please speak with the program coordinator.

Program Goals

Goal 1 - Knowledge
To provide a student-centered learning environment through providing a curriculum that reflects, relevant, current dental hygiene theories integrating general biomedical science, dental and dental hygiene sciences.

Goal 2 - Clinical Competence
To train dental hygienists who will provide quality patient-centered preventive and therapeutic care for patients through the dental hygiene standard of care involving assessment, diagnosis, implementation and ongoing evaluation as reflected by the OCC Dental Hygiene competencies for the dental hygienist.

Goal 3 - Communication Skills
To prepare dental hygienists to communicate using interpersonal skills to competently interact with patient’s families and fellow members of the health care team to maintain delivery of optimal oral hygiene care.

Goal 4 - Professional Behaviors
To prepare dental hygienists who will demonstrate competent professional behavior through the use of critical thinking, problem solving skills, and adherence to the standard of care, legal and ethical principles of the dental hygiene profession.

Goal 5 - Health Promotion/Disease Prevention
To educate dental hygiene students to competently perform the six interrelated roles of the professional dental hygienist: administrator/manager, change agent, clinician, client advocate, educator/oral health promoter, and researcher.

Goal 6 - Professional Growth/Disease
To develop competent skills to maintain professional growth and lifelong learning including self-assessment, and the ability to analyze current research

Competencies for entry into the Profession of Dental Hygiene

In 2003, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) drafted competency statements in five domains. These domains have been adopted by the OCC dental hygiene program to serve guidelines to define the abilities expected of a dental hygienist entering the profession. As defined by ADEA, dental hygienists must exhibit competence in the following five domains.

  • Core Competencies
  • Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
  • Community Involvement
  • Patient/Client Care
  • Professional Growth and Development

Program Information Sessions

Before acceptance into the OCC Dental Hygiene Program, the prospective student must attend one of the three information sessions that are conducted throughout the academic year. Together with the college catalog the dental hygiene information sessions are the only sources of information pertaining to the dental hygiene selection procedures. Information sessions are determined each fall. Students may call the counseling department for the selected dates. The information sessions are always held at the Highland Lakes Campus.

Accreditation

The OCC dental hygiene program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Graduation from an accredited dental hygiene program is required by law to be licensed as a dental hygienist in Michigan

Advisory Liaison

The Dental Hygiene Liaison Committee is designed as a formal process for maintaining a connection between the OCC Dental Hygiene Program to dental and dental hygiene professionals from the community. The committee currently includes the following representatives:

  • President of OCC Highland Lakes campus
  • Three dental hygiene faculty members
  • Dean of Health Professions and Technologies
  • Two general dentists
  • Two specialty dentists
  • Recent graduates from the dental hygiene program
  • Two current dental hygiene students
  • The advisor for the student component of the American Hygiene Association (SADHA)

Meetings are held twice each year.

Application for Admission

For the Oakland Community College Application for Admission, click here.