A look at Sinclair’s Dental Hygiene program
Laura Perkins came to Sinclair Community College to become a dental hygienist. After waiting a full year for a spot in the program, Perkins said it was worth the wait.
“It’s a fantastic career and I think the professors are fantastic,” Perkins said. “They all care about you and are dedicated.”
Perkins, 39, is in her second year of the Dental Hygiene program. Though she has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is a certified elementary education teacher, Perkins decided to head into another field.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field, but I also wanted to be a mom,” she said. “I couldn’t figure out how to cross the two. That’s why I took up teaching years ago. I decided teaching wasn’t what I really wanted to do.”
Perkins said she looked at other schools for dental hygiene, but none offered the short waiting list and low tuition at Sinclair.
The program is a seven-quarter process and is a very hands-on experience, according to Perkins.
“Starting in the second quarter, you are working with equipment,” she said. “You’re starting on (simulation mouths), and then you start on each other.”
Professor Rena Shuchat has served as Chairperson of Dental Health Sciences since 2003. Shuchat said Sinclair has always had the latest in dental hygiene technology and the program received a 20-chair patient simulation lab last year.
“We are the only dental program in Ohio that has such a lab,” she said. “Because our facilities are so state-of-the-art, students are learning their skills in the best possible way to prepare them for real-world practice.”
Shuchat said 77 percent of students who enter the Dental Hygiene program graduate. Graduates of the program are then able to find jobs in private dental offices and public health care facilities, according to Shuchat.
“Students learn and become competent in all the treatment areas a dental hygienist is legally allowed to provide patients,” she said.
Dental Clinic
One way the program keeps Dental Hygiene students consistently learning is in the Dental Clinic. Perkins said every student is required to work in the dental clinic.
“We have everything, and maybe even better equipment than some dental offices,” Perkins said. “The major difference is you are right next to some one and not in a private room.”
Appointments can be made by calling 512-2548 or by visiting Building 4, Room 332. Shuchat said the Dental Clinic provides the Miami Valley with $600,000 in value of dental hygiene services.
“Students work on the patients under the direct supervision of dental hygiene faculty,” she said.
“We are fortunate to have a lot of support from the community and our clinic fills up quickly.”