Welcome to NTCC's Dental Hygiene Programs

NTCC Dental Hygiene Program

Welcome to NTCC's Dental Hygiene Program Website!

Info for Prospective Students (Click Here)

Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) is committed to providing quality educational programs to meet the needs of the community. Increasing the opportunities to access healh care programs such as dental hygiene is a desire of students as well as prospective employers.

The Dental Hygiene Program at NTCC is now accepting patients!
Call for an appointment - 903.434.8350.

Please call for appointment times.

On November 5, 2002, the voters passed the bond proposal for the University and Health Science Center that will house the Dental Hygiene Program. The college is very encouraged by this show of support from the community. As a result of this tremendous show of support from the community, NTCC implemented the NTCC Dental Hygiene program, with the first class of students beginning in the Fall Semester of 2004.

As updates in the development of the program become available, we will keep them posted on the website. If you need further information please contact Tammy Shelton, via email: tshelton@ntcc.edu.

Information Sessions
Information Sessions this year will be held in the Dental Hygiene Classroom, Room 144 in the University Health Sciences Building on the NTCC campus.

May 3, 2007 4pm

Please plan to attend one session, most all of your questions will be answered!!

Defining the Profession
The profession of dental hygiene is really defined by considering the roles and responsibilities of the dental hygienist. The dental hygienist is a licensed primary health care professional. The specialty at the heart of the dental hygiene profession is treating and educating patients in the control and prevention of oral diseases. Typical functions of the clinical dental hygienist include:

assessing and monitoring medical and dental health histories;
performing head and neck cancer screenings;
obaining and assessing dental x-rays;
identifying oral and systemic health problems;
treating oral diseases by removing deposits from the teeth and applying therapeutic agents;
preventing futher disease by applying preventive agents such as fluorides and dental sealants;
educating individuals and groups on oral health care and promotion and developing oral health programs to meet the needs of school and community settings.

Dental hygienists become licensed in Texas by first becoming a registered dental hygienist which requires the successful completion of a program of study accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and successfully passing the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination. Then the registerd dental hygienist must successfully complete a state or regional examination(like the examination administered by the Western Regional Examination Board) in order to apply for a state license to practice dental hygiene.

Career Opportunities

Dental Hygiene is projected to be one of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the United States.
According to the U.S Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook, the median hourly earning in 2000 was $25; benefits vary substantially with employment settings.
The majority of graduates work in the private practice dental settings. Dental hygienists are also employed in hospital and institutional clinics, long term care facilities, corporate health facilities, school systems, research facilities, dental insurance companies, corporate sales, and as teachers in dental hygiene programs.

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