COMPETENCIES FOR THE ENTRY LEVEL DENTAL HYGIENIST
Competence: That level of skills, knowledge, and values required by new graduates to begin the practice of dental hygiene.
CORE COMPETENCIES (C): Reflect the ethics, values, skills, and knowledge integral to all aspects of dental hygiene practice.
The graduate will be able to:
Core Competencies (C)
C.1 Apply a professional code of ethics in all endeavors.
C.2 Adhere to state and federal laws, recommendations, and regulations in the provision of
oral health care.
C.3 Use critical thinking skills and comprehensive problem-solving to identify oral health care
strategies that promote patient health and wellness.
C.4 Use evidence-based decision making to evaluate emerging technology and treatment
modalities to integrate into patient dental hygiene care plans to achieve high-quality,
cost-effective care.
C.5 Assume responsibility for professional actions and care based on accepted scientific
theories, research, and the accepted standard of care.
C.6 Continuously perform self-assessment for lifelong learning and professional growth.
C.7 Integrate accepted scientific theories and research into educational, preventive, and
therapeutic oral health services.
C.8 Promote the values of the dental hygiene profession through service-based activities,
positive community affiliations, and active involvement in local organizations.
C.9 Apply quality assurance mechanisms to ensure continuous commitment to accepted
standards of care.
C.10 Communicate effectively with diverse individuals and groups, serving all persons without
discrimination by acknowledging and appreciating diversity.
C.11 Record accurate, consistent, and complete documentation of oral health services
provided.
C.12 Initiate a collaborative approach with all patients when developing individualized care plans that are specialized, comprehensive, culturally sensitive, and acceptable to all
parties involved in care planning.
C.13 Initiate consultations and collaborations with all relevant health care providers to
facilitate optimal treatments.
C.14 Manage medical emergencies by using professional judgment, providing life support,
and utilizing required CPR and any specialized training or knowledge.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HP)
HP.1 Promote positive values of overall health and wellness to the public and organizations
within and outside the profession.
HP.2 Respect the goals, values, beliefs, and preferences of all patients.
HP.3 Refer patients who may have physiological, psychological, or social problems for
comprehensive evaluation.
HP.4 Identify individual and population risk factors, and develop strategies that promote
health-related quality of life.
HP.5 Evaluate factors that can be used to promote patient adherence to disease prevention or
health maintenance strategies.
HP.6 Utilize methods that ensure the health and safety of the patient and the oral health
professional in the delivery of care.
Community Involvement (CM)
CM.1 Assess the oral health needs and services of the community to determine action plans
and availability of resources to meet the health care needs.
CM.2 Provide screening, referral, and educational services that allow patients to access the
resources of the health care system.
CM.3 Provide community oral health services in a variety of settings.
CM.4 Facilitate patient access to oral health services by influencing individuals or
organizations for the provision of oral health care.
CM.5 Evaluate reimbursement mechanisms and their impact on the patient’s access to oral
health care.
CM.6 Evaluate the outcomes of community-based programs, and plan for future activities.
CM.7 Advocate for effective oral health care for underserved populations.
Patient Care (PC)
Assessment
PC.1 Systematically collect, analyze, and record diagnostic data on the general, oral, and
psychosocial health status of a variety of patients using methods consistent with
medicolegal principles.
PC.2 Recognize predisposing and etiologic risk factors that require intervention to prevent
disease.
PC.3 Recognize the relationships among systemic disease, medications, and oral health that
impact overall patient care and treatment outcomes.
PC.4 Identify patients at risk for a medical emergency, and manage the patient care in a
manner that prevents an emergency.
Dental Hygiene Diagnosis
PC.5 Use patient assessment data, diagnostic technologies, and critical decision making skills
to determine a dental hygiene diagnosis, a component of the dental diagnosis, to reach
conclusions about the patient’s dental hygiene care needs.
Planning
PC.6 Utilize reflective judgment in developing a comprehensive patient dental hygiene care
plan.
PC.7 Collaborate with the patient and other health professionals as indicated to formulate a
comprehensive dental hygiene care plan that is patient-centered and based on the best scientific evidence and professional judgment.
PC.8 Make referrals to professional colleagues and other health care professionals as
indicated in the patient care plan.
PC.9 Obtain the patient’s informed consent based on a thorough case presentation.
Implementation
PC.10 Provide specialized treatment that includes educational, preventive, and therapeutic
services designed to achieve and maintain oral health. Partner with the patient in
achieving oral health goals.
Evaluation
PC.11 Evaluate the effectiveness of the provided services, and modify care plans as needed.
PC.12 Determine the outcomes of dental hygiene interventions using indices, instruments,
examination techniques, and patient self-reports as specified in patient goals.
PC.13 Compare actual outcomes to expected outcomes, reevaluating goals, diagnoses, and
services when expected outcomes are not achieved.
Professional Growth and Development (PGD)
PGD.1 Pursue career opportunities within health care, industry, education, research, and other
roles as they evolve for the dental hygienist.
PGD.2 Develop practice management and marketing strategies to be used in the delivery of oral PGD.3 Access professional and social networks to pursue professional goals.
Adopted by Faculty June 16, 2014
