DH 219 - Introduction to Patient Care

This course contains didactic instruction that correlates to subjects and procedures in the pre-clinical lab course. Students will receive in-depth information pertaining to introductory dental hygiene techniques and clinical practice. Emphasis is on current theories and scientific principles, prevention of disease transmission, professional and ethical treatment of patients, clinical preparation, and comprehensive patient care. Topics include infection control protocols and recording patient medical/dental histories. Students will gain the knowledge necessary to provide dental hygiene assessments, perform a dental hygiene diagnosis, and prepare a care plan. Students will understand the implementation and evaluation phases of assessment. Topics covered will be studied in detail. Students will study and practice effective communication techniques. Semester Credit Hours: 2.00 Contact Hours: 30/0/0/30 Prerequisites: DH 111 Medical Emergencies in Dentistry, DH 190 - Orofacial Structures, Histology, and Embryology DH 210 Dental Management and Technologies, and DH 290 Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist. Corequisite: None.