OUR PROGRAM
As a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH), you will play an essential role in helping patients maintain good oral health. Performing regular cleanings and offering helpful tips for effective home care are among the key duties in your job description.
In the Amarillo College Dental Hygiene Program, you will receive hands-on clinical instruction in the form of supervised patient care experiences. The program includes courses like pharmacology, periodontology, pathology, dental hygiene, radiology, and dental materials. Our program has an onsite Dental Hygiene Clinic where students learn to provide dental hygiene services.
A Registered Dental Hygienist requires diverse personality traits to work very closely with patients.
A SUCCESSFUL DENTAL HYGIENIST IS...
- Patient and understanding
- Detail-oriented
- Passionate
- Sturdy on his/her feet
- Positive
ACCREDITATION
The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The last site visit occurred in 2017. The Dental Hygiene program was granted the Accreditation Status of Approval without Reporting Requirements by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Site visits occur every seven years. The next site visit is scheduled for 2025. A copy of the Dental Hygiene Accreditation Standards and CODA Policies and Procedures, including those for complaints related to accreditation standards, may be found online at http://www.ada.org/en/coda or you may contact the Com
mission at:
The American Dental Association CODA
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Telephone: 1-800-621-8099 | 1-312-440-4653
Program Costs
Tuition & Fees
Visit the AC website for tuition/fees; https://www.actx.edu/business-services/tuition-basic-fees
The AC Business Office is located in the Byrd Building 1st Floor. If you have any additional question you can contact them through email: business@actx.edu or by phone at (806) 371-5001.
Additional Supply & Equipment
The Dental Hygiene program has an additional cost as the student is responsible for purchasing their own supplies and equipment, averaging at about $8,000.00, not including textbooks or tuition. Another cost to consider are the licensure exams when the student completes the program and is ready for their Board Exams.
Our Program Director
Donna Cleere, RDH, M.Ed.
Phone: (806)354-6064
Email: dkcleere@actx.edu
6222 W 9th Street
Amarillo, TX 79106
Program Mission and Goals
The mission of the Amarillo College Dental Hygiene Program is to provide quality technical education leading students toward the profession of Dental Hygiene and to enhance the quality of life in our community through the direct provision of Dental Hygiene services, including patient education, disease prevention, and therapeutic intervention to patients of all walks of life. This mission is accomplished by partnering with students to achieve academic excellence, participating in community service, offering comprehensive patient-centered care, and utilizing critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making skills. The mission and goals of the Dental Hygiene Program are closely related to Amarillo College's mission of transforming our community and economy through learning, innovation, and achievement. The educational objectives of the Amarillo College Dental Hygiene Program are based on creating a partnership with students to assist them in achieving academic excellence. The following goals are measured and evaluated to help ensure the program is fulfilling its mission:
Goal #1: To graduate students who demonstrate entry-level dental hygiene practitioner skills through excellent academic and clinical instruction.
- PSLO #1: Dental hygiene students will systematically plan and manage patient treatment by applying the Dental Hygiene Process of Care.
- PSLO #2: Dental hygiene students will recognize medical and dental conditions requiring special precautions or considerations
- PSL0 #3: Dental hygiene students will analyze and interpret assessment data to formulate a dental hygiene diagnosis.
Goal # 2: To graduate students who serve as a valuable resource for quality, comprehensive, patient-centered dental hygiene treatment to the community.
- PSLO #4: Dental hygiene students will demonstrate mastery in providing oral healthcare to individuals at all stages of life and for all periodontal classifications.
- PSLO #5: Dental hygiene students will develop health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations.
Goal # 3: To graduate students who apply critical thinking skills and exhibit ethical conduct in the healthcare setting.
- PSLO #6: Dental hygiene students will critically, scientifically, and effectively synthesize information.
- PSLO #7: Dental hygiene students will critically analyze published reports of oral health research and apply this information to dental hygiene practice.
- PSLO #8: Dental hygiene students will demonstrate professionalism and self-responsibility and adhere to an ethical code of conduct throughout the program.
Goal # 4: To graduate students who are evaluated as having met the No Excuses mission of the institution by demonstrating internal and external success.
- PSLO # 9: Dental hygiene students will participate in required remediation as indicated, complete entrance and exit skill evaluations, and participate in a focused national board review through HESI.
Goal # 5: To graduate students who contribute actively to the profession through professional involvement and continued education.
- PSLO #10: Dental hygiene students will provide planned educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills and strategies to promote optimal health through community and service learning.
Amarillo College Dental Hygiene Program Competencies
The competencies of our program align with the domains recognized by the American Dental Hygiene Association, the American Dental Association, the Council on Dental Accreditation, and the American Dental Education Association. These domains encompass professionalism, which includes ethics, values, skills, and knowledge integral to all aspects of the profession. Additionally, they include health promotion/disease prevention, patient care, role in the community, and professional growth and development. By incorporating these domains into our program, we ensure that our students are prepared to excel in all aspects of dental hygiene practice.
Competency 1: Demonstrate systematic planning and management of patient treatment by applying the Dental Hygiene Process of Care.
Competency 2: Recognize medical and dental conditions requiring special precautions or considerations before dental hygiene treatment.
Competency 3: Analyze and interpret assessment data to formulate a dental hygiene diagnosis.
Competency 4: Demonstrate mastery in providing oral healthcare to individuals at all stages of life and for all periodontal classifications.
Competency 5: Develop health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations.
Competency 6: Critically, scientifically, and effectively synthesize information.
Competency 7: Critically analyze published reports of oral health research and apply this information to dental hygiene practice.
Competency 8: Demonstrate professionalism and self-responsibility and adhere to an ethical code of conduct throughout the program.
Competency 9: Participate in required remediation as indicated, demonstrate competence on entrance and exit skill evaluations, and participate in a focused dental hygiene review capstone test through HESI.
Competency 10: Provide planned educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills and strategies to promote optimal health through community and service learning.
Bloodborne Pathogen Policy for AC Dental Hygiene Students
Introduction
The Amarillo College (AC) Dental Hygiene Program is committed to ensuring the safety and health of patients, students, faculty, and staff by addressing issues related to bloodborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), Tuberculosis (TB), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This policy also upholds the rights of individuals with bloodborne infectious diseases.
Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens
Students are required to treat all assigned clients, which may expose them to bloodborne pathogens and infectious diseases during clinical services. Instruction is provided on infectious diseases, disease transmission mechanisms, and infection control procedures to minimize the risk of transmission among patients, operators, and students. Students must adhere to standard precautions and follow OSHA and CDC guidelines during all clinical procedures.
Responsibilities and Assumptions
While the dental hygiene faculty will provide necessary information to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and protect students, they do not assume responsibility for students' personal health. Students are ultimately responsible for preventing self-contamination from infectious diseases.
Safety and Risk Minimization
The AC Dental Hygiene Clinic is a safe environment for providing and receiving dental care. Adhering to appropriate infection control procedures significantly reduces the risk of contracting bloodborne diseases during dental treatments. This policy aims to minimize the risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens and other environmental hazards in the clinic.
Immunizations
Students are advised to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine before starting clinical work. If a student declines the vaccine, they must sign a "Vaccination Declination Form," taking responsibility for their health. This form will be kept on record for any student who declines vaccination.
Standard Precautions
Standard precautions involve the routine and consistent use of barrier protection, such as gloves, lab coats, masks, and protective eyewear, to prevent skin and mucous membrane exposure to microorganisms from contact with blood or body fluids. Standard precautions must be observed to prevent contact with potentially infectious materials. In cases where differentiating between body fluid types is difficult or impossible, all body fluids will be treated as potentially infectious.
Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens
During clinical courses, students exposed to bloodborne pathogens must follow the procedures outlined in the AC Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan, detailed in the Dental Hygiene Clinic Manual.
Communication of Hazardous Materials
Labels and signs must be affixed to containers of regulated waste containing blood or other potentially infectious materials. These labels should be fluorescent orange or orange-red with contrasting lettering or symbols.
Enforcement of Policy
Students engaging in unsafe or careless clinical practices that risk the health of clients, students, or staff will face disciplinary action. This includes a faculty review of the student's actions or behavior, which may result in immediate suspension from the program.
COMMISSION ON DENTAL ACCREDITATION
POSTING FORM FOR THIRD PARTY COMMENTS
The Commission currently publishes, in its accredited lists of programs, the year of the next site visit for each program it accredits. In addition, the Commission posts its spring and fall site visit announcements on the Site Visit Process and Schedule area of the Commission’s website for those programs being site visited in the current and next year. Special site visits and initial accreditation site visits for developing programs may be scheduled after the posting on the Commission’s website; thus, the specific dates of these site visits may not be available for publication. Parties interested in these specific dates (should they be established) are encouraged to contact the Commission office. The Commission will request written comments from interested parties on the CODA website.
The United States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies to provide an opportunity for third-party comment, either in writing or at a public hearing (at the accrediting agencies’ discretion) with respect to institutions or programs scheduled for review. All comments must relate to accreditation standards for the discipline and required accreditation policies. In order to comply with the Department’s requirement on the use of third-party comment regarding program’s qualifications for accreditation or initial accreditation, the following procedures have been developed.
Those programs scheduled for regular review must solicit third-party comments through appropriate notification of communities of interest and the public such as faculty, students, program administrators, dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers at least ninety (90) days prior to their site visit. The notice should indicate the deadline of sixty (60) days for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office and should stipulate that signed or unsigned comments will be accepted, that names and/or signatures will be removed from comments prior to forwarding them to the program, and that comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process. The announcement may include language to indicate that a copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission’s policy on third-party comments may be obtained by contacting the Commission by calling 1-312-440-4653 or by email.
All comments submitted must pertain only to the standards relative to the particular program being reviewed or policies and procedures used in the accreditation process. Comments will be screened by Commission staff for relevancy. Signed or unsigned comments will be considered. For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency.
All relevant comments will have names and/or signatures removed and will then be referred to the program at least fifty (50) days prior to the site visit for review and response. A written response from the program should be provided to the Commission office and the visiting committee fifteen (15) days prior to the site visit. Adjustments may be necessary in the site visit schedule to allow discussion of comments with proper personnel. Negative comments received after the established deadline of sixty (60) days prior to the site visit will be handled as a complaint. Any unresolved issues related to the program’s compliance with the accreditation standards will be reviewed by the visiting committee while on-site.
Programs with the status of initial accreditation, and programs seeking initial accreditation must solicit comment through appropriate notification of communities of interest and the public such as faculty, students, program administrators, dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers utilizing the procedures noted above.
On occasion, programs may be scheduled for special focused or special comprehensive site visits and because of the urgency of the visit, solicitation of third-party comments within the ninety (90) day time-frame may not be possible. However, third party comments must be solicited at the time the program is notified of the Commission’s planned site visit, typically sixty (60) days in advance of the visit. In this case, the timeframe for solicitation of third-party comments will be shortened. The notice should indicate the deadline of thirty (30) days for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office and should stipulate that signed or unsigned comments will be accepted, that names and/or signatures will be removed from comments prior to forwarding them to the program, and that comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process. All relevant comments will have names and/or signatures removed and will then be referred to the program at least twenty (20) days prior to the site visit for review and response. A written response from the program should be provided to the Commission office and the visiting committee ten (10) days prior to the site visit. Adjustments may be necessary in the site visit schedule to allow discussion of comments with proper personnel. Any unresolved issues related to the program’s compliance with the accreditation standards will be reviewed by the visiting committee while on-site. Negative comments received after the established deadline of thirty (30) days prior to the site visit will be handled as a complaint.
Individuals who are interested in submitting third party comments, may contact the Commission office for submission guidance. Third party comments should be emailed to the appropriate Commission staff; comments should not be sent to the Commission office via the US Postal Service.
Revised: 2/22; 8/19; 8/18; 2/18; 2/16; 2/15; 8/13; 8/12, 8/11, 7/09, 8/02, 1/97; Reaffirmed: 8/13; 8/10, 1/03; Adopted: 7/95
INSTITUTION: Amarillo College
PROGRAM(S) TO BE REVIEWED: Dental Hygiene Program
SITE VISIT DATE: February 11th and 12th 2025
60-DAY DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF COMMENTS IN THE COMMISSION OFFICE. Please email comments to the appropriate CODA staff. Staff emails are found at: https://coda.ada.org/about-coda/coda-staff