Public Health Dental Hygienist

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 that educate dental hygienists with the knowledge and credentials needed to submit a licensure application to become a PHDH. 

Requirements

1. Registered Dental Hygienist with a valid license to practice in the state of Rhode Island.
2. A minimum of three (3) years of full-time experience as a Registered Dental Hygienist, or;
3. An equivalent of 4,500 hours of clinical experience

*To apply to take these courses please contact Maria Abregu [email protected] and please complete our Program Inquiry Form.

Courses/Dates:

• DHYG 2204: Risk and Practice Management for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
  • starts online Monday, April 29 - June 3, 2024.
• DHYG 2203: Infection Control for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
  • starts online Wednesday, June 5, 2024; SIM lab at Lincoln campus on Thursday, July 11 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

• DHYG 2202: Management of Medical Emergencies for the Public Health Dental Hygienist
  • starts online Thursday, August 1, 2024, 2024; SIM lab at Lincoln campus on Thursday, September 5th, 5:00 -8:30 pm

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.