This primary focus of this course, a continuation of Dental Hygiene I, is to practice skills and knowledge attained in the previous dental hygiene course. You will be exposed to instrument sharpening, time management, patient education techniques, and the use of ultrasonic and sonic scalers in periodontal debridement. You are provided with supervised clinical practice in the dental hygiene clinic with emphasis on performing patient treatment and improving instrument skills.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of one semester of the dental hygiene program.

The lecture portion of this class will be held online using a synchronous interactive online format (eNOVA). The lab portion will be in a traditional face-to-face format. All students are required to log in each lecture time period. The quizzes for the lecture portion are going to be found on the corresponding Blackboard site. These will be timed and are to be taken after the lecture. You need to take the quizzes before the next scheduled lecture.The exams will be given on campus at the testing centers. Students will take their exams at Locust Grove campus (Germanna Community College) or at the MEC (Northern Virginia Community College).

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate proper care, maintenance and use of the dental unit, hand piece, prophylaxis angle and equipment used in the dental clinic.
• Demonstrate correct patient and operator positioning, light and air and a dry field of operation for maximum visibility and efficiency during scaling and polishing procedures.
• Utilize the correct grasp, fulcrum, stroke, pressure, duration and speed during scaling and polishing procedures.
• Follow a systematic sequence during scaling and polishing procedures.
• Perform clinical procedures without traumatizing hard and soft tissues.
• Utilize proper symbols to record the existing conditions of the human dentition.
• Discuss the types and use of disclosing agents.
• Plan and implement patient education techniques for their patients.
• Plan and utilize good time management techniques.
• Demonstrate and verbalize proper medical emergency techniques.
• Identify and demonstrate the proper instrument sharpening techniques.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the use and application of topical anesthetic.
• State the indications and contraindications for use of topical anesthetic.
• Relate rationale and technique for the use of ultrasonic and sonic scalers.
• Demonstrate knowledge of PSR to screen clinic patients.
• Discuss the factors contributing and the pain impulse theories of dentin hypersensitivity.

The required textbooks for this course are:

• Nield-Gehrig, Nancy. Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation . Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 6th edition.

• Wilkins, Esther M., Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist . Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 9 th edition, 1999. (and workbook)

• Wilkins Esther, Workbook for Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, Copyright 2005
• Pickett, Freida and Terezhalmy, Geza, Dental Drug Reference with Clinical Implications
• Nield-Gehrig, Jill, Patient Assessment Tutorials: A step-by-step guide for the dental hygienist

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books

Call before going to a campus bookstore to make sure the materials are in stock. If you don't see what you need, ask for assistance. Each bookstore has a separate section for ELI courses. Print this page and take it with you to avoid confusion.

Your course grade will be determined by the assignments and exams, according to the following points:

There are 4 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at the one of the campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : lgill@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 822-6571
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office at the Medical Education Campus. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.