Program Overview

Dental Hygiene Program

The Dental Hygiene program at Virginia Commonwealth University is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become competent dental hygienists. The program includes a range of courses that cover topics such as dental hygiene theory, clinical dental hygiene, community oral health education, and dental public health.

Course Descriptions

• DENH 301: Dental Hygiene Theory I: This course introduces students to the scope, role, and responsibilities of the dental hygiene profession. Topics include an introduction to educational and therapeutic services, philosophy of preventive oral health, and clinical knowledge and skills needed to perform fundamental clinical dental hygiene procedures.
• DENH 302: Dental Hygiene Theory II: This course is a continuation of DENH 301 and provides students with knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care, including instruction in advanced dental hygiene skills.
• DENH 307: Research Methods and Study Designs: This course guides dental hygiene students in becoming competent in the use of scientific literature as part of lifelong learning and evidence-based decision-making in patient care.
• DENH 312: Community Oral Health Education and Promotion: This course introduces preventive oral health strategies, methods, materials, and principles of instruction in health education and communication.
• DENH 327: Clinical Dental Hygiene I: This clinical practicum introduces dental hygiene services as part of a comprehensive care model and reinforces knowledge and clinical skills learned in prerequisite courses.
• DENH 337: Clinical Service Learning: Students participate in an organized service activity that meets community-identified needs, providing exposure to patients of varied backgrounds and special patient populations.
• DENH 342: Nutrition: This course provides an overview of the chemistry of major nutrients and a practical approach to concepts of nutrition, emphasizing developing positive preventive health behaviors.
• DENH 347: Clinical Dental Hygiene Summer Clinic: This clinical practicum continues dental hygiene services, reinforcing knowledge and clinical skills, and further develops clinical skills, including pain control for dental hygiene students.
• DENH 401: Dental Hygiene Theory III: This course presents dental specialty content, enabling dental hygienists to consider implications for dental hygiene treatment planning in relation to various dental specialties.
• DENH 402: Dental Hygiene Theory IV: This course presents principles of dental practice, including dental team management strategies, business office management, and employment opportunities.
• DENH 407: Evidence-Based Dental Hygiene Practice: This course guides dental hygiene students in becoming competent in the use of scientific literature for lifelong learning and evidence-based decision-making in patient care.
• DENH 411: Dental Public Health I: This course provides an introduction to basic concepts of dental public health, community dental health education, and community program planning.
• DENH 412: Dental Public Health II: This hybrid course applies knowledge gained about assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating a dental health program for a community site.
• DENH 422: Current Issues, the Law and Ethics: This online course explores ethics, jurisprudence, and principles of dental hygiene practice, providing foundations of ethical reasoning and decision-making.
• DENH 437: Clinical Dental Hygiene II: This clinical practicum continues to prepare students to provide oral health care services, emphasizing patient assessment, management skills, and self-assessment.
• DENH 447: Clinical Dental Hygiene III: This course is a continuation of the clinical practicum, preparing students to provide oral health care services with advanced dental hygiene procedures.
• DENH 449: Clinics in Dental Hygiene: Clinical/laboratory experiences offering the opportunity to use and further develop knowledge and skills of dental hygiene practice.
• DENH 450: Independent Study: Independent study projects planned to meet the learning objectives of the student.
• DENH 457: Clinical Service-learning: A course-based, credit-bearing educational experience where students participate in an organized service activity meeting community-identified needs.
• DENH 460: Individual Plan of Study: This course is designed on an individual basis to accommodate remediation of a failed course.
• DENH 477: Special Topics in Dental Hygiene: Designed around the interests of students, faculty expertise, and availability of educational resources, potentially including intensive mini-courses or workshops.