A Public Health Dental Hygienist (PHDH) is a practicing Registered Dental Hygienist
who is certified to perform dental hygiene procedures without immediate or direct
supervision of a dentist. PHDHs are certified to perform procedures in public health
settings including schools, longterm care facilities, clinics, mobile dental health
vans, and others.
Each course is designated to prepare the Registered Dental Hygienist to meet the educational
requirements for infection control, risk and practice management, and management of
medical emergencies in public health dental environments.
This program consists of three (3) five-week online courses, 13 hours per course,
that educate dental hygienists with the knowledge and credentials needed to submit
a licensure application to become a PHDH.
Requirements
- Registered Dental Hygienist with a valid license to practice in the state of Rhode
Island.
- A minimum of three (3) years of full-time experience as a Registered Dental Hygienist,
or;
- An equivalent of 4,500 hours of clinical experience
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Courses:
- Risk and Practice Management for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
- Infection Control for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
- Management of Medical Emergencies for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
Each course awards fifteen (15) Continuing Education credits. Upon successful completion
of all three courses, student can apply for PHDH licensure.
Successful completers of the Public Dental Health Hygienist classes are eligible to
apply for prior learning credit (PLC) through the Dental Health Department (one (1)
credit per class).
Corequisite
There is no corequisite for these courses and they may be taken out of sequence. While
all three courses are required for PHDH licensure, each individual course provides
a separate valuable continuing education learning opportunity.
Details
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Cost - $325 for each course. Includes a $10 non-refundable registration fee
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Time Commitment - Three (3) five-week courses, 13 hours per course
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Contact - For more information, please complete the Program Inquiry Form