Dental hygiene courses teach students how to clean teeth, identify oral problems, and protect against disease transmission. Topics include periodontics, oral anatomy, infection control, and radiology.
Dental hygienists are professionals who remove hardened food particles from teeth and give instructions to patients on how to care for their teeth and gums. Different dental hygiene courses introduce students to this complex field, giving them instruction in books and hands-on training. Hygiene courses cover how to clean teeth and the components of human teeth. In addition, classes teach students how to protect themselves against disease transmission and how to capture oral radiographs.
One of the top dental hygiene courses available is a clinical periodontics class. In this type of course, students study the signs of periodontal or gum disease and review how bacteria essentially cause inflammation of the gum tissues along with bone resorption in periodontal patients. Students also cover how to identify various oral pathological problems and how to properly clean a patient’s teeth using various scaling and root planing instruments.
Dental hygiene classes also teach oral anatomy and tooth morphology. In this type of course, students learn that each tooth has five surfaces and how they can change over time due to various factors. Information about the various parts of a tooth – including the crown and root, for example – is also an important topic in oral anatomy oral hygiene courses.
Students extensively review infection control requirements while in dental hygiene training programs. They practice using personal protective equipment such as masks, goggles and gloves and learn the various methods by which disease can be spread in the dental office. In addition, dental hygiene students review how to properly sterilize instruments and disinfect chairs and other equipment used by various patients. Reviewing facts about common dental office illnesses, such as the hepatitis B virus, is an essential part of these types of dental hygiene courses.
Completion of a radiology degree is another academic requirement for dental hygiene students. Radiology dental hygiene courses train students on how to take dental radiographs of patients’ entire mouths using various instruments. Students study how an X-ray tube works and the proper safety precautions to take when taking x-rays on patients. For example, they review the importance of a patient wearing a lead apron to protect against unnecessary ionizing radiation and practice staying behind a lead barrier when taking x-rays to protect themselves.
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