Las Cruces – Dr. Renay Scott has been informed by the National Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) that the Doña Ana Community College (DACC) dental hygiene program has retained national accreditation. The Commission has asked that the following statement be used to describe the accreditation status.
The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation [and has been granted the accreditation status of: approval without reporting requirements.”] The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Unites States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312 – 440 – 4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.
An Accreditation team from CODA visited DACC February 23 – 24, 2016 and reported their findings to the Commission. A list of recommendations from the visit were addressed by DACC and then submitted in a subsequent report. CODA reviewed both the site visit report and the DACC response to the site visit report. As a result of the actions of the Commission, the next site visit is scheduled for 2023.
The Associate Degree of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene is a highly sought after major at the Community College. Dental hygienists improve oral health and support the health of individuals and groups. As licensed professionals, they provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic services. Some are involved in research, sales, administration, client/patient advocacy, marketing or consulting. Dental hygienists practice in a variety of settings such as dental offices, public health facilities, schools, nursing homes, hospitals and other settings.
Many dental hygienists are employed in clinical settings. They perform oral and general health assessments such as medical history, vital signs, oral cancer screening, dental charting, examination of the gums and supporting structures of teeth. They provide oral health instruction, counseling such as nutrition and healthy lifestyles and the impact on oral and general health. Dental hygienists take and interpret radiographs and provide many types of preventative services including removing deposits from teeth, applying fluoride and placing sealants.
DACC students participate in a laboratory setting under the supervision of dental professionals. They provide dental hygiene assessments, radiographs, dental cleanings, sealants, fluoride treatments, and oral health education. The DACC Dental Clinic is located on the Central Campus adjacent to NMSU at 3400 South Espina, Alex Sanchez Hall, room 80. For reduced cost services call (575) 528-7019.
Students are accepted into the competitive program in a cohort which consists of 12 students. They are accepted after a careful review of their application and qualifications. State and National certification exams are required for licensure after the course of study has been completed.