Distance Education-Wichita State University

V. Responsible department and unit Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Professions

The Dental Hygiene Department at Wichita State University currently offers two degrees; the Associate of Science and the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. The Associate of Science degree is the current entry level degree for dental hygiene students at Wichita State University. The Bachelor of Science degree is a degree completion program for graduates of an Associate of Science degree in Dental Hygiene.

This following proposal is to convert the existing Associate of Science degree in Dental Hygiene into an entry level Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree. The Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene degree would be eliminated and the existing Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene completion program would continue for previous graduates and graduates of other associate degree programs.

The proposed entry level Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree is central to the Wichita State University Mission Statement of comprehensive educational opportunities in an urban setting. The associate degree program has been associated with Wichita State University since its inception in 1966. The program is offered in the College of Health Professions and along with the other professional programs provides health professionals for Wichita and south central Kansas. The Dental Hygiene program has graduated just over 900 graduates since its beginning.

The demand for the entry level clinical program is very high. The existing program applicant pool has ranged from 125 to 176 applications per year for 30-36 slots during the last ten years. Graduate surveys in recent years have indicated an interest in a baccalaureate entry level program. During the Spring 2007 semester current students and recent alumni were surveyed regarding their interest in a baccalaureate entry level degree. Both groups were strongly supportive of the change. In the current student and alumni groups 90% and 88% respectively indicated they would have applied had the program been baccalaureate entry at the time of their application. When the two groups were asked what they believed the appropriate educational entry level for dental hygienists is, 77% of alumni and 52% of the current students believed the baccalaureate degree is the appropriate entry level. In the alumni group surveyed 50% are currently taking course work for a baccalaureate degree.

The program conducts graduate surveys annually and graduates find employment within 1-2 months of graduation. Graduates of a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene may pursue graduate level education in dental hygiene, public health, adult and occupational education, health education or other related degrees.

There are currently four entry level dental hygiene programs physically located in Kansas. All of the current programs offer associate degrees. Two programs, WSU and Johnson County Community College, offer Associate of Science degrees in Dental Hygiene. Two other programs are distance sites for Northeast Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin. The distance site programs are located in Colby, Kansas and Fort Scott, Kansas. The Colby County Community College and Fort Scott Community College collaborate with Northeast Technical College to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from the Wisconsin school. The four mentioned programs are all accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Colby, Fort Scott, and Johnson County graduate 12, 12, and 24 students annually respectively.

This proposal would create the only Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene entry level degree program in Kansas. Wichita State University is the only location of the existing programs that could offer a Bachelor of Science degree program. All other programs are housed at community colleges while the WSU dental hygiene program is housed in a four year institution. Moving the dental hygiene program to the baccalaureate level brings the program more in line with the primary focus of a four year institution and is desired by students in the program.

Characteristics of students participating in the proposed program The existing associate degree program has a strong applicant pool. In the last ten years, the applicant pool has ranged from 125-176 students per year. A review of applicant data indicates that 95% of the pool is drawn from the counties in and around Wichita. The student profile includes traditional and non-traditional age students, predominantly women and Caucasian.

The admission criteria for students who apply to the WSU Dental Hygiene Program include 1) completion of all prerequisite courses with a C or better, 2) hold a 2.75 overall grade point average, 3) be admitted to WSU, 4) complete an observation of a dental hygienist in a clinical practice setting and 5) submit an application form by the established deadline. The program admits one class per year that starts each fall semester. After the application deadline, the program reviews all applications and using an established protocol ranks the applicants. The top 75 applicants are requested to complete a standardized aptitude examination. The evaluation of the observation questionnaire and the standardized exam are added to the existing rankings and the new class is selected from the top 75 applicants.

The existing associate degree program requires 23 prerequisite credit hours, 49 credit hours in the major and 83 total credit hours. Twenty one of the hours in the major are at the 100-200 level and 28 credit hours are at the 300-400 level. The entry level baccalaureate program will require 42 prerequisite credit hours, 57 credit hours in the major and a total of 124 credit hours. The courses in the major will be offered at the 300-400 level.

The primary changes in the curriculum include the appropriate modification of curriculum for the lower division courses to be offered at the upper division level, one credit hour each was added to dental materials and research, and two new three credit courses were added. The first new course added was Issues in Dental Hygiene. This course is currently offered in the degree completion BSDH and offers insight in to the current practices issues faced by dental hygienists. The second new course is Community Oral Health II. The associate degree program offered one three credit course in community oral health. The baccalaureate entry level dental hygiene degree will offer Community Oral Health I and II, each for three credit hours. The addition of this course reflects the increased focus on hygienists being in community clinics, schools, and other community oral health settings. The complete curriculum is found in Attachment I.

Laboratory and clinical education are a large component of dental hygiene education. Students in the dental hygiene program receive their entire laboratory and the majority of their clinical education on the WSU campus in Ahlberg Hall. The program operates a 24 chair dental hygiene clinic to accomplish this educational goal. The students have rotations to extramural facilities in Wichita that include the Sedgwick County Public Health Department Dental Clinic, GraceMed, Hunter Health, and the Veterans’ Administration Dental Clinic.

The program has 5.5 permanent full-time faculty lines and does not request any new faculty positions. Four of the five full-time positions are held by two tenured faculty, one probationary faculty, and one unclassified professional/Senior Clinical Educator. All full-time faculty have the terminal degree in the profession which is a master’s degree and one faculty has a Ph.D. The program exceeds the required staffing for a Bachelors program of three faculty with a PhD. or appropriate terminal degree.

One full-time faculty position is vacant and a temporary faculty has been hired for .80 time to assist in covering the teaching needs for the program. Additionally the program has one half time faculty position and multiple part-time clinical faculty who teach in the Dental Hygiene Clinic. The half time faculty member has the terminal degree in the field. The part-time faculty include local dentists and hygienists who teach one-half day to 2 days per week in the Dental Hygiene Clinic. All full or part-time faculty members are either dental hygienists or dentists who have the appropriate educational background to teach in the program.

The faculty are accomplished educators and scholars as evidenced in their curriculum vitae which are attached in the Appendix. Three of the four full-time faculty have received teaching awards at the college and university level. The faculty do not have assigned teaching requirements outside of the department. The faculty do provide periodic guest lectures to the nursing department and Introduction to Health Professions course.

The curriculum vitae of all faculty who teach didactic courses or are the lead faculty for clinical courses is included in the Appendix. The didactic courses are taught by faculty with the terminal degree or higher. The faculty are all dental hygienists or dentists with the appropriate professional credentials for the field.

The program will not have any graduate student assistants. The department currently has funding for student assistants who are utilized in the department office and the clinic.

Academic Support

The program has the necessary current academic support which includes advising services, library, audio-visual and academic computing resources. The new degree does not require any additional academic support. The College of Health Professions has a Student Services group that provides pre-professional and professional student advising. The library has an existing collection of books and periodicals in the dental and dental hygiene fields. Electronic access to journals and on-line searches is available to faculty in their offices and students in the library building. The university Media Resource Department has audio-visual and computer equipment that is available by reservation to all faculty. The College of Health Professions has two master classrooms, and the other classrooms have computer and computer projectors available for faculty use. Additionally the department owns a laptop/projector system that is also available for faculty use in classrooms.

The program has two support staff members which is sufficient to operate the baccalaureate entry level program. No new staff members are requested in the proposal.

Facilities and Equipment

There are no new facility requirements for the conversion of the degree from an associate to a baccalaureate degree. The program does operate a dental hygiene clinic as a component of the educational program. After two years of fund-raising, the department renovated the existing clinic in the summer of 2005. Private funds exceeding $850,000 were raised for this renovation and a clinical faculty endowment. The renovated clinic was rededicated as the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation Dental Hygiene Clinic in honor of the lead donor. The renovation and redesign of the existing clinic space allowed the program to increase enrollment by 20% in the Fall of 2005. The renovated clinic includes 24 operatories, 5 radiology operatories, an Infection Control Center, a business desk, a clinical faculty desk area, and a reception area. A clinic schematic is attached in the Appendix. Donors to the project included foundations, dentists and hygienists, dental hygiene alumni, faculty, dental and dental hygiene professional organizations, and friends and family members of graduates. The renovation has been paid for in full.

The college and department have sufficient space for the instructional and laboratory needs of the program. The program shares laboratory space with the Medical Technology Program. The clinic space is also utilized for preclinical instruction, radiology instruction, dental materials and pain management labs.

Each student scheduled for patient care is assigned to an operatory unit. Every unit is equipped with a viewbox mounted to the delivery tray, an ultrasonic scaler, a curing light, and an adjustable operator chair. Every unit has a mobile cart that provides storage for disposables and student supplies. Each cart has a surface countertop, as well as a pull-out work top that can be utilized by the student as a writing surface for data collection and record keeping. Each unit also has a wall file that can hold the patient’s file. A hands-free-control sink is located between adjacent units, for a total of 12 handwashing sinks on the clinic floor. There is additional storage above and below the sinks for other disposables and clean-up supplies, respectively.

The infection control center (ICC) is designed to facilitate flow of instrument preparation and sterilization processes. The ICC is designed with ‘east’ and ‘west’ mirror-image areas. In each, there is a designated area for cleaning and preparing instruments for sterilization and for storage of prepared instruments awaiting sterilization. The sterilization area is separate from the preparation area. Each student has assigned space for storage of his/her sterilized instruments and other items. The infection control center has designated sharps disposal bins and biohazardous waste disposal containers.

The department repairs equipment as needed and replaces equipment when necessary. The department maintains a three year capital equipment purchase plan to avoid loss of use of equipment. The department does not require any new equipment to convert the degree to baccalaureate entry level.

Program Review, Assessment, and Accreditation

The department has an assessment plan for annual review of the goals and objectives of the program. The Assessment Plan is attached in the Appendix. The plan includes multiple types of assessment that include students, faculty, alumni, and alumni employers. Faculty individually review their courses each time the course is offered. Student evaluation of courses and faculty is completed each time the course is scheduled. The student outcomes that are measured include successful completion of all courses, written and clinical licensure examinations and graduate surveys. The faculty meet annually to review all data and make programmatic and course revisions. That meeting is held in June of each year. Additionally the clinic has a quality assurance plan that include patient satisfaction surveys, a complaint process and record review. The faculty review the results of the data annually and make adjustments to clinic operation as needed.

The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The department completed a Site Visit in November, 2006. The program received two commendations and two recommendations. A response to the recommendations was submitted in February, 2007 and it was reviewed by the Commission in July, 2007. The Commission accepted the response for one recommendation and requested additional information regarding the other recommendation. The program has supplied the requested information which will be reviewed in January, 2008.

New Degree Request- Wichita State University

Criteria	Program Summary
1. Program Identification CIP	51.0602
2. Academic Unit	College of Health Professions
3. Program Description	The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene is designed to prepare students for the practice of dental hygiene. The program provides students with knowledge of the social, dental, and clinical sciences and competencies needed by the dental hygienist in contributing to the attainment of optimum oral health for all people. The graduate is prepared for beginning positions in dental hygiene and for further study at the graduate level.
4. Demand/Need for the Program	The demand for the program and its graduates is very high. National and state data indicate dental hygiene is one of the fastest growing professions with excellent job prospects. Applications for the existing program have ranged from 125-176 applicants for 30-36 positions over the last ten years.
5. Comparative/Locational Advantage	WSU is the only four year institution in Kansas that offers a dental hygiene program. As such it is the only school that could offer a baccalaureate entry level dental hygiene program. The program draws students from the surrounding counties and provides dental hygiene practitioners for Kansas, particularly south central Kansas.
6. Curriculum	The curriculum is 124 credit hours. Students would complete 42 hours of prerequisite courses, enter the program in their junior year and have 57 hours in the major. The remaining hours are contained in the general education requirements. The program includes extensive laboratory and clinical education hours.
7. Faculty Profile	The program has 5.5 FTE. Full time and the half time faculty member have the terminal degree in the profession. Multiple part-time faculty members are utilized to provide clinical education. No new faculty positions are needed for the degree.
8. Student Profile	Students for the program are primarily drawn from Wichita and the surrounding counties. The students are evenly split between traditional and non-traditional ages, predominantly women and Caucasian.
9. Academic Support	Given the existing associate degree program, the academic support is sufficient to offer the baccalaureate entry level degree. The university and college offer support for student recruitment and advising, library resources, audio-visual and academic computing resources. The program has existing staff members and no new positions are required.
10. Facilities & Equipment	All necessary facilities and equipment exist to offer a baccalaureate entry level degree program. The program operates a dental hygiene clinic to support the clinical education required for the program. In 2005 the program renovated the clinic and increased the class size based on public and professional demand for the program.
11. Program Review, Assessment, Accreditation	The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The program has an assessment plan that involves annual review of all courses and the program by faculty and students. The clinic has a quality assurance plan that is monitored and modified on an annual basis.
12. Costs, Financing	No new funds are required to convert the associate entry level degree to a baccalaureate entry level degree in dental hygiene. The existing associate degree program is funded by a combination of GU and RU sources.

Attachment I

CURRICULUM OUTLINE

NEW DEGREE PROPOSALS

Kansas Board of Regents

I. Identify the new degree: Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene an entry level degree

II. Provide courses required for each student in the major:

Dental Hygiene Core Courses:

311 Preclinical Dental Hygiene 5

314 Introduction to Periodontics 3

317 Clinical Radiology 4

318 Oral Anatomy, Histology, & Embryology 3

319 Dental Materials 3

331 Dental Hygiene Concepts I 3

332 Dental Hygiene Clinic I 3

333 Dental Hygiene Clinic II 2

334 Intro. To Research in Dental Hygiene 2

335 General & Oral Pathology 3

407 Ethics & Jurisprudence 2

410 Community Oral Health Mgmt. I 3

416 Pain Management 2

431 Dental Hygiene Concepts II 3

432 Dental Hygiene Concepts III 2

434 Dental Hygiene Clinic III 4

435 Dental Hygiene Clinic IV 4

440 Community Oral Health Mgmt. II 3

470 Issues in Dental Hygiene 3

Total 57 Hours

IMPLEMENTATION YEAR FY__2010___

Fiscal Summary for Proposed Academic Programs

Institution:_Wichita State University____ Proposed Program:_Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene – (an entry level degree)

Part I Anticipated Enrollment	Implementation Year		Year 2		Year 3
	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time
A. Full-time, Part-time Headcount:	36	0	72		72	0
B. Total SCH taken by all students in program	1188		2124		2124
Part II. Program Cost Projection
A. In implementation year one, list all identifiable General Use costs to the academic unit(s) and how they will be funded. In subsequent years, please include only the additional amount budgeted.
	Fall, Implementation Year		Year 2		Year 3

Costs: Salaries	No new funds needed		NA		NA
OOE	“ “ “ “		NA		NA
Total	NA		NA		NA

Indicate source and amount of funds if other than internal reallocation:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Revised: September 2003

Approved: _____________________

Rev. 1-04

Presents the basic philosophy of dentistry and dental hygiene. Considers measures that can be employed to prevent oral disease and promote dental health. Laboratory instruction in instrumentation for removal of deposits from the teeth is included.

Examination of periodontal disease, treatment planning and evaluation of the disease and clinical skills necessary. Students design and evaluate a treatment plan for periodontal patients.

Presents the theory and practice of exposing, processing, and mounting x-ray films. Uses laboratory period to gain proficiency in x-ray techniques. Includes radiation protection and infection control techniques and stresses care of the equipment.

Studies tooth morphology, arrangement, function, and characteristics and studies the development and microscopic anatomy of the oral cavity including hard and soft tissues.

Course covers the properties, uses, management and manipulation of dental materials, with laboratory experience with commonly used materials and procedures that are within the scope of dental hygiene practice.

Prepares the dental hygiene student to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the clinical care of patients. Emphasizes oral health promotion, dental hygiene diagnosis, emergency preparation, patient communication and motivation.

Providing patient care in a clinical setting. Stresses patient assessment, oral disease prevention and basic instrumentation techniques. Develops patient evaluation and treatment planning skills.

Continued development of proficiency of clinical techniques emphasizing periodontal instrumentation techniques.

Course is an introduction to the sscore, format and use of research in dental hygiene. Focus on experimental and descriptive research methods and designs used in dental hygiene. Emphasis will be given to critically evaluating research and developing the ability to e a critical consumer of professional literature.

Surveys general pathology of tissues and organs of human anatomy. Discusses dental pathology of the teeth, dental pulp, and oral tissues. Considers signs, symptoms, and manifestations of oral lesions.

Surveys laws governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene; types of professional work for which students may qualify; economics and ethics of the profession.

Covers dental public health and community dental hygiene, focusing on education and prevention. Includes the professional philosophy and foundations of dental health education in a community health context, as well as in-depth study of certain aspects of dental public health such as fluoridation, epidemiology and program development.

Provides the theoretical and practical knowledge that is necessary for management of dental pain. Focus on mechanisms of pain, control of dental pain through the administration of topical anesthetics, infiltration, and block anesthesia; use of nitrous oxide and recognition of local anesthesia related complication and emergencies.

Current and advanced clinical concepts in dental hygiene treatment with an emphasis on special needs patients ranging from developmental disabilities to acute or chronic medical conditions.

Includes discussion of dental specialties and rationale for treatment prescribed by the dentist. Periodontal and geriatric cases are emphasized.

Providing patient care for patients throughout the life span. Emphasis is on the development of treatment plan evaluation and advanced clinical skills.

Providing patient care for patients throughout the life span. Emphasis is on the refinement of all skills utilized by graduate hygienists and preparation for clinical licensure examinations.

Course will include examination of dental health delivery systems in community settings, with a focus on management of oral health care in alternative practice settings. Student will evaluate dental health delivery in various community settings and identify oral health problems in a group or community.

Analyzes various professional issues in clinical or community dental hygiene focusing on issues ranging from concerns within the local practice setting to national policy issues. Examines theories and application uniquely suited to the dental health care delivery system.

The Dental Hygiene Department (DH) annually completes an accreditation report, with a site visit every 7 years, by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). In the year following a site visit the department completes a review by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR).

A departmental Assessment Plan will provide a mechanism that evaluates student learning and program outcomes on a variety of levels. The table on page three outlines the Assessment Matrix for the program. Annually, the faculty with student representation review the data during its retreat and determines appropriate changes for curriculum and program improvement.

The mission of the Dental Hygiene Program is to be a learning community dedicated to excellence and innovation in:

• Educating and mentoring dental hygiene students and professionals • Community involvement and partnerships

• Provide an Associate of Science degree in Dental Hygiene in this geographic area which will attempt to meet societal needs.

• Provide educational experiences which will enable program graduates to achieve licensure as a dental hygienist in any state.

	Minimum Frequency					Responsibility
	Each Course/semester	Annually	Every 2 years	Every 7 years	Ongoing	Responsibility
Student & Program Assessment
Course Evaluations	X					Faculty
Graduate Survey		X				Dept. Chair
Employer Survey			X			Dept. Chair
National Board passing rates		X				Dept. Chair
Clinical Board passing rates		X				Dept. Chair
National Board subject performance		X				Dept. Chair
Clinical Board performance		X				Dept. Chair
Student graduation rates		X				Dept. Chair
Accreditation Review				X		Faculty and Dept. Chair
Regent’s Review				X		Faculty and Dept. Chair