DENTAL HYGIENE Larger Class Size

DENTAL HYGIENE Hygiene Program Expands Class Size

The annual class size for students earning their bachelor’s degree in the Dental Hygiene Program is expanding from 32 to 40 students. The increase started in May for students entering in the Class of 2024. The 25 percent increase is being driven by demand, said Program Director Janet Kinney, the Dr. Dorothy G. Hard Legacy Professor. “There is a strong demand for clinical hygienists right now,” Kinney said. “When Covid-19 hit, most dental offices slowed down or some shut down. When they opened back up again over the last year and a half, many hygienists chose not to return or retired. It’s directly in response to that need.” Kinney said program administrators are also seeing an increased demand in the applicant pool, perhaps as the need for hygienists has been publicized by dental practices. “We’ve certainly seen more interest from highly qualified applicants than in the past,” Kinney said. “We had this new, larger incoming class filled by February 1 and we’ve never done that before.” Another factor seems to be the program’s move three years ago to condense the curriculum to two years from three, by moving to a year-round class format, similar to the schedule for dental students. Previously, hygiene students had summers off and their six semesters of courses and clinical instruction took three years. “It is appealing for students thinking about hygiene as a career to know that they can come here and get a University of Michigan bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene in just two years,” Kinney said. Students must complete course prerequisites before starting the program, which many do with two years at the university or by earning an associate’s degree at a community college before arriving at the dental school. Kinney said the DH program draws students beyond the traditional hygienist track, including those who may be changing careers, want a second degree in a healthcare field, or are using the BSDH degree as a springboard for graduate studies.

Dental Hygiene student Katie Bartholomew focuses on a patient while working in one of the dental schools newly renovated clinics.

Hygiene Centennial Celebration This August

A two-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Dental Hygiene Program at the School of Dentistry will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 19-20, 2022. This event was originally scheduled for 2021, the actual 100th anniversary year, but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Graduates of the program are invited to join a Centennial Celebration program and luncheon on Saturday, Aug. 20, in the Grand Ballroom of the Michigan League, across the street from the dental school. Earlier that morning, members of the classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 can attend an invitationonly Emeritus Celebration of their 50th anniversaries. Two Continuing Education Courses – a morning session and an afternoon session – will be offered on Friday, Aug. 19, at the dental school. More information and registration details are available on the website for the Office of Alumni Relations and Development at https://dent.umich.edu/alumni-giving. Questions can be directed to the office by email at Sodalumnirelations@umich.edu or by calling (734) 763-3315. In advance of the event, Dental Hygiene graduates are invited to submit photos from their time in the program. The photos will be used as part of a video presentation at the celebration. Details of how to submit photos are included on the website listed above.

Rulli Led Planning for National ADEA Conference

Dr. Danielle Rulli, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Dental Hygiene program, chaired the Annual Session Program Committee that planned the 2022 Annual Session and Exhibition of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), held March 19-22 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Under Rulli’s leadership, the committee worked for more than a year to collaborate with ADEA’s seven councils to finalize

myriad details of the event, under the theme of “Lifting as We Rise.” The committee’s responsibilities included adjudicating proposals for presentations, research posters and corporate participation. Rulli, who is director of the Graduate Dental Hygiene Dr. Danielle Rulli Program, also completed a second role for ADEA, serving as the 2021-22 chair of the ADEA Council of Allied Dental Program Directors. It consists of the directors of dental hygiene, assisting and laboratory technology education programs conducted by ADEA member institutions.

Grad Student's Research Project Receives National Award

Research conducted by a dental hygiene student while earning her master’s degree received a national award during the National Oral Health Conference in April. Heather Lawler received the Leverett Graduate Student Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dental Public Health. Her master’s thesis research and poster, “Oral Health Literacy Education and Practice in U.S. Dental Hygiene Programs: A National Study,” received the third-place award. The award is sponsored by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, which meets jointly with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors at the annual national conference.

Rulli is the first member of an Allied Program to chair the ADEA planning committee for the annual conference in the history of the organization, which was founded in 1923. ADEA members include all 78 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, more than 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, more than 50 corporations and approximately 18,000 individuals.

Lawler’s research, conducted prior to receiving her MSDH degree from the School of Heather Lawler Dentistry in August 2021, sought to determine the extent to which Oral Health Literacy, or OHL, is being included in dental hygiene education programs across the country. Previous studies have shown a significant relationship between low oral health literacy and poor oral health outcomes for patients. Lawler queried 90 accredited dental hygiene education programs and found that several aspects of OHL education were being taught by a high percentage of programs, such as communication strategies as they relate to community health, cultural competency and special populations. However, less than half of respondents rated their graduates competent in understanding language as a determinant of health and in linking low OHL to poor health outcomes.