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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. To instill the commitment to contribute actively to the betterment of the profession through professional involvement and continued education.
5. To develop a strong sense of community among students, staff, and faculty within the dental hygiene program.
6. 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
7. 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.
8. To provide students with the skills necessary to work as part of an interprofessional health team.
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
- Provide opportunity for a broad liberal arts foundation.
- Demonstrate skills required to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate dental hygiene therapies and programs.
- Train hygienists to serve in roles designed to meet the needs of a variety of populations in a changing society.
- Prepare graduates to assume leadership roles within the profession
- Participate responsibly in the professional association and uphold its purposes.
- Represent dental hygiene with high standards of personal conduct.
- Hold professional patient relationships in confidence.
- Maintain professional competence with a personal commitment to lifelong learning.
- Promote activities that foster interaction and relationships between students, staff, and faculty within the department, college, and university.
- Recognize and uphold the laws and regulations governing the profession.
- Prepare graduates for advanced professional or graduate education.
- Foster a team approach to the provision of dental hygiene care.
- Foster interdisciplinary communication through clinical and service activities.
- Foster understanding of diversity through treatment of multicultural 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.
- Utilize every opportunity to increase public understanding of oral health practices.
- Expand computer based teaching strategies to enhance experience with current information systems.
- Provide state of the art equipment for provision of dental hygiene therapy.
- Stay current in published research related to efficacy, and effectiveness of diagnostic tests, therapies, and prognoses used in dental hygiene therapy.
- Incorporate technology and scientific data to present rationale for the clinical practice of dental hygiene.