Course Outline for Dental Hygiene 81A
Clinical Practice I

Effective: Fall 2023
SLO Rev: 03/10/2017

Catalog Description:

DHYG 81A - Clinical Practice I

5.00 Units

Continuation of clinical experience in performing dental hygiene therapy with emphasis on the young child and periodontal patient; patient education in prevention and control of dental disease and emergency procedures.
Prerequisite: DHYG 69B and DHYG 71B Corequisite: DHYG 56A and DHYG 57 and DHYG 80A and DHYG 83.
CB03: TOP Code 1240.20 - Dental Hygienist*
Course Grading: Letter Grade Only
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Clinical 5.00 270.00 0.00 270.00
Total 5.00 270.00 0.00 270.00

Measurable Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. recognize signs and symptoms of emergencies involving the child, adolescent, geriatric, and special needs patient and follow the procedures for the dental hygiene clinic;
  2. scale and root plane teeth using a systematic order, appropriate type, sharp, and correctly-contoured instruments with minimum time and trauma;
  3. demonstrate the use of power scaling instruments on selected patients;
  4. apply postoperative procedures and instructions for the patient;
  5. select and apply a variety of topical fluoride agents using a variety of methods;
  6. select and apply appropriate desensitizing agents on selected patients;
  7. select and apply appropriate agents for pit and fissure sealants on selected patients;
  8. expose, process, mount and interpret diagnostically acceptable radiographic surveys on clinic patients;
  9. recognize clinically and discuss the value of preventive dental caries control and the role of the hygienist in this activity;
  10. demonstrate clinical competency in infection control techniques/prevention of disease transmissions;
  11. apply ethical reasoning to dental hygiene practice;
  12. serve all clients in the community without discrimination;
  13. provide humane and compassionate care to all patients/clients;
  14. demonstrate honesty in relationships with patients/clients, colleagues, and other professionals;
  15. ensure the privacy of the patient/client during treatment and confidentiality of patient/client records;
  16. adhere to state and federal laws governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene;
  17. obtain, review, and update vital signs, medical history, family history, social history, and dental history while recognizing cultural differences in populations;
  18. manage the patient/client chart as a legal document and maintain its accuracy;
  19. determine medical conditions that require special precaution or consideration prior to and/or during dental hygiene treatment;
  20. identify the patient/client at risk for a medical emergency and manage the patient/client care to prevent an emergency;
  21. perform a comprehensive examination using clinical, radiographic periodontal and dental charting, as well as other data collection procedures to assess the patient's/client's needs;
  22. determine priorities and establish oral health goals with the patient/client and/or guardian as an active participant;
  23. establish a planned sequence of educational and clinical services based on the dental hygiene diagnosis, including etiology, prognosis, and treatment alternatives;
  24. obtain the patient's/client's informed consent based on a thorough case presentation;
  25. make appropriate referrals to other health care professionals;
  26. use accepted infection control procedures;
  27. provide an environment conducive to health by applying basic and advanced principles of dental hygiene instrumentation without causing trauma to hard or soft tissue;
  28. control pain and anxiety during treatment through the use of accepted clinical and behavioral management strategies;
  29. select and administer the appropriate antimicrobial or antibiotic agent with pre- and post-treatment instructions;
  30. provide adjunct dental hygiene services that can be legally performed in the State of California;
  31. evaluate the effectiveness of planned clinical and education services and modify as necessary;
  32. determine the appropriate maintenance schedule;
  33. provide subsequent treatment or referrals based on evaluation of findings;
  34. evaluate clients’ needs for comprehensive dental hygiene therapy;
  35. evaluate and identify teeth which meet the placement criteria for an Interim Therapeutic Restoration (ITR) including: patient factors, tooth factors, acceptability of lesion for treatment, and risks and benefits of ITR placement;
  36. determine and implement proper follow-up protocols after ITR placement, including identification of potential adverse outcomes.

Course Content:


Clinical (Content)
  1. Patient Type competencies
    1. Assess, plan, present, implement and evaluate a patient care plan to meet the needs of thhe child dental patient, adult patient, geriatric patient, adolescent patient and patients with special needs
  2. Identify and treatment plan pit and fissure sealants on appropriate teeth
  3. Topical fluorides
    1. Identify different types of topical fluoride and their appropriate use
    2. Demonstrate proper application of topical fluoride
  4. Scaling and root planing
    1. Complete full assessments on all patients
      1. Medical history
      2. Dental history
      3. Intraoral and Extraoral exam
      4. Restorative charting
      5. PER
      6. Calculus charting
      7. CaMBRA
      8. Plaque index
      9. Patient Personal Plaque Control
    2. Develop a dental hyggiene care plan based on assessments
  5. Treatment Planning of dental hygiene care plan to include:
    1. Treatment planning in the Dentrix system
    2. Patient consent for treatment
    3. Patient consent for local antesthesia
  6. Implementation of Dental Hygiene Care Plan
  7. Adjunctive Therapy to augment patient care
    1. Administration of topical anesthesia
    2. Administration of local anesthesia
    3. Administration of N20/02 sedation
    4. Placement of subgingival medications
    5. Subgingival irrigation
    6. Soft Tissue Curettage
  8. Post-operative procedures to include appropriate postoperative instructions
  9. Instrument sharpening
  10. Dental radiography
    1. Exposure of appropriate radiographs
    2. Trouble shooting radiographic errors
    3. exposure of panoramic x-ray
  11. Prevention of disease transmissions through the regular practice of universal precautions
    1. Use of appropriate PPE
    2. Safe processing and sterilization of instruments
    3. Proper storage of instruments
  12. Placement, evaluation and follow-up of Interim Therapeutic Restorations

Methods of Instruction:

  1. Case presentations
  2. Clinical practice in the dental hygiene clinic
  3. Demonstration
  4. Directed conferences
  5. Lecture/Discussion
  6. Clinic
  7. Seminars

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments
  1. Complete a dental hygiene care plan for a pediatric, adolescent, adult, geriatric, and special needs patient. Include at least two measurable goals on each care plan.
  2. Enter all patients, scheduled treatment, and treatment completions in the Dentrix system.
  3. Complete a chart audit form for each of your patient completions. Include all necessary forms with all the required signatures.
  4. Complete clinical support rotations under the supervision of faculty and assigned staff to include: Clinic Assistant, Rover, Radiology Assistant, and Student Assistant.
  5. Place and evaluate up to 5 Interim Therapeutic Restorations; provide appropriate follow-up care.
  6. Complete 3 Case Difficulty test cases, demonstrating effective and appropriate patient care
  7. Complete and pass two Gracey instrument competencies
  8. Administer a minimum of two local anesthetic injections to competency
  9. Provide specific adjunctive therapy to include: STC, subgingival irrigation, local antibiotic (Arestin) placement, use of topical anesthetic, to competency
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
  1. Attendance
  2. Midterm clinical conference
  3. Daily clinical evaluation
  4. Radiographic evaluations
  5. Competency based tests, including a final examination
  6. Clinical performance
  7. Assigned activities
  8. Demonstration of practice and skills
  9. Online Assignments
3. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Develop, present and implement a comprehensive, evidence based dental hygiene care plan
  2. Identify and implement appropriate pain control procedures
  3. Identify, place, evaluate and determine proper follow-up protocol for an Interim Therapeutic Restoration (ITR)
  4. Plan and implement a dental hygiene care plan based on identified medical/health conditions of the patient
  5. Assess, Plan, Implement and evaluate a comprehensive dental hygiene care plan based on identified patient needs
  6. Demonstrate proper technique and effectively remove calculus with Gracey curettes
  7. Complete and pass assigned case difficulty text cases

Textbooks (Typical):

  1. Boyd, Mallonee & Wyche (2021). Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice (13th). Jones and Bartlett.
  2. Blue (2022). Comprehensive Review of Dental Hygiene (9th Edition). Elsevier.
  3. Nield-Gehrig, J. (2016). Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation (8th). Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins..
  4. Malamed (2020). Handbook of Local Anesthesia (7th ). Elsevier.
  5. Gehrig, Shin & Willmann (2020). Foundations of Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist (5th). Jones and Bartlett.
  1. Pacific Canvas Modules: ITR Placement Criteria ITR Placement Techniques.
Additional Materials:
  • Masks
  • Gloves
  • Eyewear
  • Protective clothing
  • Instrument kits
  • Power scaling unit

Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:

Continuation of clinical experience in performing dental hygiene therapy with emphasis on patient type categories including: Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric and Special Needs. Focus on patient treatment of periodontal disease within the clinical setting, including education in prevention and control of dental disease and emergency procedures.
Prerequisite: DHYG 69B and DHYG 71B Corequisite: DHYG 56A and DHYG 57 and DHYG 80A and DHYG 83.