The vision of the University of Maryland, School of Dentistry, is to advance oral health to improve lives. through education, research and service related to health, with special emphasis on improving dental, oral and craniofacial health.
In support of this vision the Dental Hygiene Program educates future leaders in the profession. The Program provides continuing education for dental and dental hygiene professionals, conducts research relevant to dental hygiene education and practice, and disseminates this knowledge. The Program also provides high quality oral health care services to residents of Maryland and the region, and provides consultative and other services to governmental and private agencies, professional organizations and the community through the leadership and expertise of its faculty and contributions of its students. The Program endeavors to recruit, retain and develop high quality, productive faculty who accept responsibility for advancing knowledge in the field of dental hygiene. Faculty foster intellectualism and offer a professional education for dental hygiene students that embodies excellence and relevance. The faculty strives to prepare graduates who can provide dental hygiene services with competence in any setting in accordance with ethical codes of the profession and statutory provisions for dental hygiene practice.
Program Goals and Objectives
About The Dental Hygiene Program
The Dental Hygiene Program derives its purposes and functions, which encompass teaching, research and service, from the philosophy, policies, strategic plan and vision of the School of Dentistry, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University System of Maryland.
For all of these programs and courses, faculty members are committed to creating an educational environment that facilitates the development of ethical professionals who are critical thinkers, capable of realistically assessing their own performance and directing their own professional growth and development during and beyond the educational programs at the University of Maryland. Faculty strive to maintain a quality curriculum continually updated to reflect emerging health care trends and future roles in dental hygiene practice.
The Program promotes oral health for the citizens of Maryland through education, community service and treatment, thereby supporting the university in its vision to achieve excellence in the areas of public service, academics and clinical patient care. The goals, objectives and competency statements that follow provide direction to the faculty and students so that the program and its graduates will be able to make positive contributions to the delivery of oral health care services to the public.
The Dental Hygiene Program strives to:
- Offer high quality evidence-based educational programs that will enhance the awareness, appreciation and utilization of dental hygienists in health care, research, educational and community settings.
- Prepare graduates who provide and promote access to high quality, evidence-based, patient-centered dental hygiene care and contribute to the overall health of Marylanders.
- Serve as resources to health professionals in the region through consultation and conducting innovative continuing education programs.
- Conduct innovative research that will contribute to the body of knowledge pertinent to dental hygiene education and practice in clinical and community settings.
- Encourage inter-professional collaboration in research and education to focus on the overall well-being of the patient, while increasing access to care and improving oral health literacy in our state.
- Prepare graduates who will be leaders in the profession of dental hygiene, are committed to lifelong learning and who promote the values and goals of the profession.
Professional Licensure & Certification Disclosure
School of Dentistry-Entry-Level Dental Hygiene BS Degree
The University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Entry-Level Dental Hygiene BS Degree curriculum follows the rules of the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in preparing students for a degree in dental hygiene. The degree prepares graduates to sit for professional licensure examinations. The University of Maryland School of Dentistry Entry-Level Dental Hygiene BS Degree curriculum satisfies the educational requirements for graduates to apply for licensure, as well as local anesthesia and nitrous oxide certification in the State of Maryland. The School has not made a determination as to the sufficiency of its program to satisfy professional licensing or certification requirements of any [other] state or jurisdiction.
Students should consult the Board of Dental Examiners in their state to confirm if the degree from UMB meets the criteria for professional licensure in their state. Contact information for the Boards of Dental Examiners can be found at https://www.adha.org/licensure
Dental Hygiene Program Bachelor of Science Goals
- Provide education in a broader perspective and at a higher level
- Develop future leaders and educators in dental hygiene and the dental profession in general
- Provide quality comprehensive and ethical dental hygiene care to individuals of all means and backgrounds
- Possess the capabilities to provide ethical, evidence-based, state-of-the-art care in a dynamic health care environment
- Contribute to the growth, development and professionalism of dental hygiene as espoused in the ADHA Code of Ethics through personal professional development and life-long learning
- Promote optimal oral health and its relationship to general health among diverse population groups
- Utilize a pragmatic process of care protocol when offering health care programs or services to individual and diverse population groups while facilitating access to care and services
- Develop high level technological skills for use in professional, clinical and didactic environments
- Provide an environment conducive to continued learning from undergraduate to graduate level
- Enhance critical thinking skills
- Educate a provider who is able integrate and navigate through a medical/dental perspective
- Promote graduate education through the BS/MS Dual Degree Clinical Dental Hygiene Leader Track
Research and Development Goals and Objectives
- Conduct research that will contribute to the body of knowledge pertinent to dental hygiene education and practice in clinical and community settings.
- Develop innovative educational programs that provide an excellent and productive learning environment.
- Share research findings with other professionals through written publications and presentations at conferences and workshops.
- Attain continued professional growth and development.
- Encourage inter-professional collaboration in research and education to focus on the overall health of the patient.
Service Goals
- Provide leadership in professional associations to promote the goals and values of the profession and to address the oral health needs of the public.
- Participate in community service activities to establish ties with the community and to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Maryland and surrounding communities.
- Disseminate science-based oral health information to professionals outside dentistry and provide oral health prevention services to underserved communities.
Faculty
- Offer high quality evidence-based educational programs at the bachelor's and master's levels that will enhance the awareness, appreciation and utilization of dental hygienists in health care, research, educational and community settings throughout Maryland and nationally
- Conduct and develop continuing education programs to serve the needs of the dental community, especially dental hygienists, in response to changing concepts in the delivery of oral health care.
Students
- Provide quality evidence-based, cutting-edge, patient-centered dental hygiene care in the teaching clinics of the Dental School and at community sites.
- Participate in campus inter-professional activities to enhance education in total health centered approach.
- Critically think and individualize care using evidence-based research methodology
- Lead and problem solve by participating in community-based programs that enhance critical thinking skill levels
