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Dental Hygiene Program
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Caroline
F. Mason, RDH, M.Ed.
Director, Dental Hygiene Program
Professor
LSUHSC School of Dentistry
Dental Hygiene
Box 134
1100 Florida Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119
Phone: 504-941-8156
Email: cmason@lsuhsc.edu
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The LSU School of Dentistry (LSUSD) offers a bachelor of science in
dental hygiene degree at three campuses. The main campus for the dental
school is in New Orleans; all didactic and clinical course work for the
dental hygiene program occurs on this campus. The second campus is in
Lafayette, Louisiana. Established in 1999 as an extension of the LSUSD
curriculum, this program offers a joint degree between the LSU Health
Sciences Center and the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (ULL/LSUSD).
The third campus is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Established in 2007,
this program offers a bachelor of science in dental hygiene degree from
LSU Health Sciences Center. For the extension programs, LSUSD uses
distance learning technology to transmit the majority of the lecture
courses to ULL/LSUSD and LSU South Campus in Baton Rouge. All didactic
and clinical course work occurs at the Lafayette Community Health Care
Center in Lafayette or at the LSU South Campus in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.
The philosophy of the dental hygiene program is to educate dental
hygiene students to provide comprehensive, current and quality-based
care to all segments of the population. The program continually strives
to maintain an environment in which students can acquire knowledge,
develop critical thinking skills and become responsible, ethical
professionals who value lifelong learning.
The specific goals of the dental hygiene program are the following:
1. Prepare the students to be competent as defined by the program
document, "Competencies for the LSUSD dental hygiene graduate."
2. Maintain admissions policies to ensure qualified candidates.
3. Utilize current educational methodologies and information to ensure
an educationally sound curriculum.
4. Provide quality individualized patient-centered dental hygiene care.
5. Review the curriculum to ensure it is relevant and current.
6. Educate students to successfully complete the national board and
clinical licensure examinations.
7. Design experiences for students to provide dental hygiene services
to diverse populations within the community.
8. Encourage student and faculty participation in professional
association activities.
9. Engage students and faculty in scholarly activities.
The dental hygiene program is an integral part of the dental school
since the dental hygiene faculty educates both dental hygiene students
and dental students to provide dental hygiene care as part of
comprehensive dental treatment. Dental hygiene and dental students take
pain control classes together, collaborate with each other on the needs
of their shared patients and learn to respect the contributions both
professions make to the team concept of dental treatment.
The dental hygiene program is integrated into all aspects of the dental
school. Access to state-of-the-art educational technology, involvement
with outcomes assessment, concurrent involvement of dental hygiene
students with dental students in extramural rotations and the inclusion
of faculty in all faculty development activities and committees are
just a few examples of an institution that strives to meet the needs of
both the dental and dental hygiene curricula.
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