Dental Hygiene
Essential Skills and Abilities
All students in the LCC Dental Hygiene Program must be able to perform these essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations.
Visual Requirements
- Normal or corrected visual acuity sufficient for observation of oral conditions and for patient assessment
- High level of hand-eye coordination necessary for extremely fine motor control
- Ability to visually differentiate the color spectrum for tissue conditions and changes
- Ability to discern subtle changes in radiographic density
- Ability to clearly see the patient's teeth from a 20-inch distance
Auditory Requirements
- Correctable hearing in at least one ear and ability to develop reasonable skills of percussion and auscultation
Motor Skills
- Gross and fine motor skills sufficient to provide safe and effective patient care
- Possession of adequate sensory perception in hands and fingers in order to detect and remove tooth deposits
- Full manual dexterity including the functioning of both arms, both wrists, both hands and all fingers.
- Tactile ability sufficient for the use of small instruments with control sufficient for instrumentation
- Ability to manipulate clinical and laboratory instruments and syringes with sufficient fine motor control to operate in a safe manner to avoid patient injury
Physical Strength and Endurance
- Motor skills sufficient to render clinical dental hygiene treatment
- Physical strength to move themselves (by walker, cane or crutches if necessary) to a position enabling them to provide dental care
- Physical strength to assist a patient in transferring themselves to and from a dental chair
- Physical strength needed to perform CPR for an extended period of time
- Ability to remain continuously on task for several hours while sitting, standing or moving
Communication Skills
- Abilities sufficient for effective interaction with others in spoken and written English
- Ability to accurately transfer gathered data into a patient record
- Ability to read and understand technical and professional materials
- Ability to demonstrate sensitivity, confidentiality and respect when speaking with patients, peers, faculty and staff
Intellectual, Conceptual and Cognitive Skills
- Ability to distinguish normal from abnormal
- Ability to comprehend, reason, integrate, analyze, evaluate and problem solve
- Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to comprehend three-dimensional relationships
Professional Attitude and Demeanor
- Ability to present professional appearance
- Ability to implement measures to maintain own physical and mental health and emotional stability
- Emotional and mental health necessary to effectively apply knowledge and exercise appropriate judgment
- Ability to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability
- Ability to practice honest and ethical behavior and accountability
- Ability to self-evaluate
- Ability to demonstrate respect for individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds, religion and/or sexual orientation