Two years of being a full-time student is what it takes to earn a degree in the Dental Hygiene program at Sinclair Community College.
Sue Raffee, Chairperson of the program, said the only catch is the workload and a waiting list that could delay the process anywhere from one to three years. However, students of the program get an extensive experience— ranging from hands-on preclinical training on simulation units and student partners, to getting supervised practice on real patients.
“I got very lucky to get in here,” Edit Mason, a first-year Dental Hygiene major, said.
Mason was a part of the quad-A admissions process, which is where students are ranked and accelerated on the waiting list based upon good grades, prior degrees and whether or not they’re currently working as a dental assistant. Even as part of the quad-A admissions, she still waited a year-and-a-half to get into the program.
Once a student officially becomes part of the program, they can expect a full workload. Mason said she spends from 9 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on campus, squeezing in as much extra practice as she can between her classes. The classes are five days a week for five consecutive semesters, starting in the fall and including one summer term.
“It’s a very demanding program,” Raffee said.
According to Lindsey Mowry, another Dental Hygiene major, classes are full of important information and missing one class is a bad idea.
Despite the full workload, Raffee said that their success rate is “nearly 100 percent every year.”
Once the students passes skills assessments and instrument competencies tests for every piece of equipment used, they’re ready to start performing procedures on actual patients in the summer term between the first and second years.
The program offers 13 services, which are cancer screenings, dentures cleanings, oral examinations, fluoride treatments, sealants, mouth guards, oral prophylaxis, periodontal therapy, oral hygiene education, nutritional counseling, x-rays and smoking cessation.
According to the program brochure, the most expensive service they offer are the home bleaching kits, which is $50. Sealants are $5 and every other procedure costs $10 for people between the ages of 13 to 61. For children under 12 and seniors over 62, procedures are $5.
However, Raffee said there is a catch— the appointments are around three hours long. The students have to be very thorough and are using these appointments for learning. However, because of the amount of testing students have to pass before they’re allowed to work on an actual individual and the amount of supervision they’re under, the patient is exposed to minimal risk.
According to Mowry, the 1:5 ratio of teachers to students works out pretty well.
The appointments are open to anyone in the community, but the slots fill up fast. The Dental Department at Sinclair opens up appointment scheduling for the entire semester one to two weeks prior to the start of that semester. They schedule 20 appointments for the morning and 20 for the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“The entire semester will get filled up with all the students…within days,” Raffee said. “It gets almost like a concert where you’re fighting in line— it’s unbelievable.”
Appointments for dental care can be made by calling (937) 512-2548.