Hygiene Program Expands its Rotation Locations

The expansion of rotations allowing fourth-year Dental Hygiene students to treat patients outside their usual dental school clinics is receiving high marks from faculty and students alike.

In January, students began providing treatment during a four-day rotation at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo. It is the first rotation to require DH students to stay for several days at a location away from the dental school, similar to the longstanding external rotation program that sends dental students to clinics around Michigan.

Another new DH rotation started this spring with students assisting in the Oral Surgery section of the dental school, an initiative allowing students to use their skills to assist surgeons with patient preparation and aftercare.

In the winter semester this academic year, DH students began another new rotation, in the school’s Pediatric Dentistry graduate program. It gives them opportunities for performing dental care for children since the regular dental school clinics draw almost entirely adult patients.

DH faculty member Darlene Jones, a clinical lecturer, coordinated implementation of the three new rotation programs as a way to broaden the student experience. Students now have access to more patients with a wider variety of dental needs, which helps students meet their curriculum requirements and prepare for what they will experience after graduation.

Jones notes that the Kalamazoo clinic’s pace is faster, with students often treating up to eight patients a day, compared to one or two per day at the dental school. The clinic’s patient base also includes a high percentage of underserved patients who often have extensive treatment needs. In addition, the location is home to patients with broad multi-cultural backgrounds, often requiring, for example, that students learn how to work through translators for patients who don’t speak English.

Brittney Nasir, president of the DH Class of 2024 that graduated in May, was assigned to the Kalamazoo clinic with two classmates in March. “I gained a profound understanding of preventive care and community outreach initiatives in promoting oral health, particularly in underserved populations,” Nasir said. “It was truly insightful to witness the significance of effective patient communication in ensuring they understand necessary treatments and how to improve their oral health. These rotations give us real-world experiences that enhance our clinical competence and better equip us for varied career paths in dental hygiene.”

The three new rotations join several that have already been in existence, some for a decade or more. The existing programs are often one- or two-day assignments that are mixed into each student’s calendar during their final year. All except the new Kalamazoo rotation are close enough to the dental school that students drive to and from the locations on the same day. The existing external rotations are Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti; VINA Community Dental Center in Brighton; Center for Family Health in Jackson; and the Smiles For a Lifetime Program, a Public Dental Prevention Program known as P.A. 161, that sends students to Head Start and other school locations to treat young children. Existing rotations within the dental school are the Integrated Special Care Clinic, the Graduate Periodontics Clinic and the Graduate Orthodontics Clinic.

Jones said students have given the new rotations – as well as the previously established ones – positive reviews because of the variety it brings to their education. “The students look forward to these rotations,” she said. “They love it. It is busy. It is fast. You are not bored. Each patient is something unique and different.”

She adds: “I think our students are going to be much more employable and much more well-rounded because of their rotation experience. I also think these rotations will attract future students to our program because we offer something that other programs don’t. We have a clear differential.”