Rationale for Dress Guidelines

1. Members of the profession are obligated to fulfill expectations in order to maintain standards of the profession.
2. The appearance and professionalism of each dental hygienist reflects on the entire profession to the patient served.
3. The reason for the existence of any regulation on attire is that patients judge students by their behavior and appearance. Whether or not they should judge student's competence by their behavior and appearance in or out of clinic is immaterial, because studies prove that this is the basis of their judgment.
4. In as much as each profession takes considerable pride in its own achievement and improvement, and early in its progress, develops principles of ethics to govern its contacts with the public, professional bearing becomes the responsibility of all staff members and student in every professional school.

Compliance

1. Failure to comply with dress guidelines will result in a grade assignment of zero in the professionalism category.
2. Three (3) offenses will result in revocation of clinic privilege.
3. Attire consists of solid color scrubs, lab coat, clean, closed-toe athletic or clinical shoes with socks. The hair should be kept out of the face and field of operation, nails should be short, and no jewelry is to be worn.