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It’s Mandatory

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ED10: Experiential Learning Treating Patients with Disabilities

Friday, July 26, 2024
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM CST
Location: 288-290: NOCC
Earn: 1.0
CODA Standard 2-12 requires that dental hygiene graduates “must be competent in providing dental hygiene care for all patient populations including… geriatric and special needs.” Academic programs must now create opportunities for students to provide treatment to these patients and conduct assessments to measure competency prior to graduation. Published studies reveal a lack of adequate didactic and clinical curricula to prepare students for actual practice in treating these patients. Opportunities for dental hygiene students to gain experience in special care dental clinics are limited. Thus, programs must develop strategies to provide opportunities for students to gain the hands-on experience necessary for competence. This presentation will provide curriculum guidance and resources to support student skill acquisition and confidence with caring for individuals with disabilities.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session attendees will be able to:
  • Describe different patient populations with disabilities.
  • Discuss recommendations for didactic and clinical curriculum content related to caring for individuals with disabilities.
  • Identify competencies with related metrics to assess student performance when treating patients with disabilities.
  • Discuss strategies to build a base of clinical patients with disabilities for dental hygiene students.
  • Access training resources and special care dentistry networks to support dental hygiene programs with preparing students to care for patients with disabilities.