Keenan and Associates
Community College Dental Hygiene Program Enrollment Practices
Many community colleges offer Dental Hygiene programs as part of their curriculum. Due to the health concerns regarding the communicable disease Hepatitis B, many colleges are determining what may be the “Best Practices” to initiate for their Dental Hygiene Program enrolling students. Keenan & Associates has determined that the following procedures may be appropriate for their community college clients.
BACKGROUND:
Hepatitis B is a serious health problem that affects people of all ages in theUnited Statesand around the world. Each year, more than 240,000 people contract the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in theUnited States. Hepatitis B is a highly infectious virus that attacks the liver and causes diseases. HBV can lead to severe illness, liver damage, chronic liver disease, primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and in some cases – death.
Research indicates that dental healthcare providers are in a “high risk” group of acquiring the virus due to the fact that dentistry involves the exposure to human blood and saliva. The best way to be protected from the virus is to be vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine.
RISK CONTROLS:
Pre-Vaccination testing has been determined to be the practice of choice by community colleges. This means that the enrolling Dental Hygiene Student should have a physical, no later than the first week of the first semester, whereby the physician checks the student’s Hepatitis B immunity to determine if the student is a candidate for the Hepatitis B vaccine. If the student’s Hepatitis B test is positive for immunity (meaning the student has been exposed to the virus in the past and is NOT a candidate for the vaccine) he/she will not need to proceed with the vaccination process. If the student’s test result is “negative” (meaning the student has never received the Hepatitis B vaccine and therefore is susceptible to Hepatitis B) he/she will need to complete the vaccination process.
The Hepatitis B vaccine is a series of three vaccinations, which should be scheduled at 0, 1 and 6 months. Time “O” is the day of the first injection, one month later is the date for the second injection and 6 months after the first injection the third dose is due. A Hepatitis B quantitative titre blood test should be obtained a month after the third dose to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine for positive immunity.
RISK TRANSFER:
It is recommended that if a vaccination series is necessary, the student must start the first injection by the start date of their Dental Hygiene Program. The vaccinations must be completed by the “clinical” position of the Dental Hygiene Program, where students are working in the mouths of patients.
Hepatitis B testing/vaccinations are normally performed by the student’s personal physician and paid for by the student. Some community colleges do offer the testing/vaccinations at their college student health and wellness center/clinic at a reduced rate. Regardless of where the student secures their testing/vaccinations, all information, findings and diagnoses are to remain confidential.
BEST PRACTICES:
All community colleges comply with their written Bloodborne Pathogens policy and include this program as part of their Dental Hygiene Packet given to all students enrolling in this program.
CerritosCollegeoffers an excellent example of a Dental Hygiene Student Handbook complete with samples of Immunization Forms, Hepatitis B Vaccine Forms, Hepatitis B Vaccine Declination Forms, Infection Control Policies/Procedures and Bloodborne Pathogens Universal precautions protocols specifically designed for community college Dental Hygiene Programs.
Attachments:
CerritosCCD BBP Infectious Diseases Board Policy
CerritosCCD Immunization Form and Testing Fees
CerritosCCD Dental Hygiene Student Handbook
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