Edison State College Dental Hygiene Clinic Make-Over
Jul 10, 2013
Edison State College School of Health Professions is enthused about the Dental Hygiene Program’s recent make-over of the Lee campus Dental Hygiene Clinic. State-of-the-art dental equipment was recently installed that included sixteen new dental chairs (16-Pelton & Crane, Spirit 3003) and renovation of the dental materials lab. These upgrades will provide dental hygiene students with the most modern technology for the procedures that occur daily in the clinic and will also offer added comfort for the patients.
The Dental Hygiene Clinic opened in December 2000 and serves 3,000 patients annually. The Clinic is equipped with sixteen dental suites including dental radiographic units and an instrument sterilization center. The Clinic incorporated electronic (paperless) patient records in 2004. Faculty, staff and students in the program also service the local community through participation in several projects such as: National Give Kids A Smile Day, Project Dentist Care, Elementary school presentations, Buckingham Exceptional Educational Program, Gulf Coast Dental Hygiene Table Clinics, JDRF Walk, Dental Health Month activities, Assisted Care Facilities Presentations, and Edison’s Light House Commons Nutritional Project.
The Edison State College Dental Hygiene program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. For 18 consecutive years, graduates have earned a 100% pass rate on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination. The Program boasts a 90% completion rate among students accepted into the program, with 258 graduates since 1995. Each class is diverse with students of various age and ethnic backgrounds. English is a second language for 30% of the students enrolled in the program. The Dental Hygiene program also partners with the Continuing Education Department to offer an injectable dental anesthesia course for Florida’s Registered Dental Hygienists. This is a result of recent legislative change that expanded the scope of skills performed dental hygienists.
National attention has determined the oral health connection to other systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, low infant birth weight, and nutritional deficiencies. Dental hygiene focuses on the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, through treatment and patient education. Results of national studies show that 80% of dental disease occurs in 20% of our population who are dentally underserved.
“The Dental Hygiene Clinic is not only a great resource for providing clinical education for our students, but also a tremendous asset for our community members who may not have access to dental care,” said Karen Molumby, Program Director of Dental Hygiene. “Patients receive outstanding preventive dental care at an affordable price while students obtain valuable hands-on experience, supervised by our talented and experienced faculty who are licensed Dental Hygienists and Dentists,” added Dr. Marie Collins, Dean, School of Health Professions.
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and affordable institution of higher education. Proud to be tobacco-free, Edison State serves more than 24,000 students across five counties and through Edison Online.
Last Updated: July 10, 2013
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