Dental Therapy

Overview

The Dental Therapy Program at Skagit Valley College is named dəxʷx̌ayəbus. This is a Lushootseed phrase that translates as a Place of Smiles. Lushootseed is a common language of coastal Salish tribes, made up of many local dialects of Native Americans throughout the Puget Sound region. The goal of dəxʷx̌ayəbus is to deliver “smiles” because smiles are strong indicators of personal confidence as well as physical and mental health.

dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy was created to increase access to quality, culturally responsive providers who are oral health advocates in their communities. The expectation is that graduates are skilled clinicians who practice with confidence, and value the patient/provider relationship. Graduates will learn to treat all individuals with respect, and value the importance of life-long learning.

NOTE: dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy is a self-supporting program. Please note that the program tuition differs from the state tuition rate.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Also see General Education Learning Outcomes

Graduates of dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy program will be able to:

Develop clinical care through a holistic health team approach that is grounded in evidence-based practices, rich in cultural humility, public health, and community awareness.
Recognize the complexity of patient care and partner with patients to collaborate with other dental specialists and healthcare providers in managing patient’s comprehensive oral health.
Comprehend the oral health needs of underserved communities, specifically native communities, and become oral health advocates when leading community service-related activities.
Apply scientific knowledge when learning, researching, and delivering oral health care by utilizing critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making.

Dental Therapy Curriculum

The 30-month curriculum is designed to develop graduates who have the knowledge base and understand the values of patient/provider interaction. Graduates will have demonstrated competence in the skill sets necessary to begin the practice of dental therapy.

In Calendar Year 1, the curriculum theme is devoted to Preparation (Quarters 1 and 2) and Processing (Quarters 3 and 4) of information which serve as the foundation for future attainment of competence. In addition, students develop psychomotor skills through simulated preclinical and clinical educational activities and are given both formative and summative assessments.

Calendar Year 2 curriculum builds on the content from Year 1 by combining didactic and psychomotor learning with consistent clinical experience. The theme during Year 2 is Application (Quarter 5) and Integration (Quarters 6, 7 and 8). Both cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills move beyond the preclinical foundations and experiences introduced in Year 1.

The theme of Calendar Year 3 (Quarters 9 and 10) is Reflective Practice. Students continue to develop as competent dental therapists through the synthesis, application and interpretation of all cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills learned in Years 1 and 2. Students are immersed in the practice of dental therapy, continue to be evaluated with feedback to aid in their growth and confidence building.

Program Accreditation

dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy is approved by the Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities (NWCCU) and Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC).

NWCCU - 8060 165th Avenue NE, Suite 200, Redmond, WA 98052. Telephone: 425.558.4224

SBCTC - 1300 Quince St SE, 4th floor, Olympia, WA 98504-2495. Telephone: 360.704.4400

dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United 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 website address is: https://coda.ada.org/en.

Program Admissions

dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy program has a selective admissions program with a dedicated application process. Prospective students who successfully complete the admissions process described below will be contacted for an interview. The format of the interview is designed to select students who are adaptable, coachable, active listeners, who are motivated to address oral health issues and increase access to care, particularly for rural or underserved communities. Applicants who successfully pass the interview phase will be given a conditional acceptance status. For final acceptance into the program, applicants must clear a background check and drug screening through a third-party HIPAA-compliant enterprise system, provide a record of immunization(s), and submit a Letter of Intent and Preceptorship Acknowledgement Form indicating their understanding of the Clinical Affiliation Agreement requirement for the 10^th quarter preceptorship.

Students enter dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy program at the beginning of the summer quarter. Students are strongly encouraged to attend an in-person or online “Open House” to learn more about the program and the admissions process before completing their application. Although this is not a requirement for admission, applicants who complete this session are more likely to submit a successful application and learn key information that the admissions committee reviews when making their selection.

Admissions Process

Dental Therapy uses the following minimum requirements for admission:

Complete the online Admissions Application (OAAP) that is required for general admission to Skagit Valley College. Go to www.skagit.edu/getstarted to apply for admission at Skagit Valley College.
Complete a supplemental application (which accompanies OAAP), and a Dental Therapy program for specific applications.
Must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Must be 18 years or older at the time of enrollment.
Must have proof of 50+ hours of dental care experience. Shadowing experiences are acceptable.
Must have two letters of recommendation specifically from teachers, employers or supervisors that are recent. Letters from teachers or previous employers may be older but at least one of the recommendations needs to be within the last three years.
Must complete scheduled interview session.
Must pass a comprehensive background check including a national multi-state criminal background check via a third-party vender.
Must pass a drug screening test via a third-party vender.
Must have proof of current immunizations/vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, annual influenza, COVID vaccination, and negative Tuberculosis (TB) evaluation via a third-party vender.
Must have proof of health insurance.
Must be able to qualify for placement into English 101
Compose an essay of 300-750 words maximum answering the essay questions below.

Essay Questions

Describe how you have been involved in your community and how that experience will translate into your ability to provide and/or influence oral health care services as a dental therapist.
Describe and provide examples of your strengths and weaknesses and how they will shape you into an oral healthcare advocate and lifelong learner.
What skills, experiences, activities, or hobbies have helped develop your hand-eye coordination, and how do they support your goal of becoming a dental therapist?
Please describe how you envision your ideal practice as a dental therapist or utilizing your dental therapy degree?

Additional Program Requirements for Admission

Provide the name and contact information (address, email, and phone number) of the Health Administrator responsible for completing the Letter of Intent (LOI) so that after acceptance, the college and the site named in the LOI will formalize the Clinical Affiliation Agreement.
Provide the name and contact information (address, email, and phone number) of the individual(s) who will be the Supervising Dentist(s).
Signed preceptorship acknowledgement form on the program website.

Academically Rigorous Curriculum

Progression in the Dental Therapy program is dependent on satisfactory performance assessments. Students must achieve a cumulative final grade of at least 74% (a grade of “C”) to pass a course. A score of 73.9% is not considered a passing grade by the Dental Therapy program. There is absolutely no rounding up scores.

If a student is not passing a course, the instructor will meet with the student to schedule one-on-one instructional session(s). The goal is to tutor a student to understand the basics before attempting to learn more complex concepts.

If a student fails an entire course:

Any student with a course grade of 73.9% (failing) will have the opportunity to improve their grade with remediation and a program improvement plan (PIP) created by the instructor.
A final grade for a course that has been remediated will not exceed 74%.
If a student fails to meet the requirements described in the PIP, the remediation results will go to the dəxʷx̌ayəbus-Student Assessment Committee (dSAC) for review. dSAC’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Program Director.
A student can submit an appeal letter to dSAC explaining the circumstances regarding course failure. The dSAC will review the circumstances and make a recommendation to the Program Director.
The Program Director will review the dSAC recommendations and make a final decision.

Students who are failing two or more courses in the same quarter and cannot complete remediation will be dismissed from the program. Any student who remediates more than two quarters in the program will be referred to the dSAC committee to determine if the student can remain in the program and the conditions of remediation if permitted. Otherwise, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Students must also maintain a passing score in professionalism throughout the program. Any student who falls below 74% in professionalism will be referred to the dSAC committee to determine any remediation and if the student is permitted to remain in the program.

Lastly, students who miss more than 10% of their pre-clinical or clinical required hours in a given quarter may be dismissed from the program. Students will have the opportunity for make-up pre-clinic and clinic hours on a first come first serve basis. In some cases, students may have the opportunity for preclinical and clinical make up hours in between quarters. This will require dSAC permission on a case-by-case basis. Students dismissed for missing required hours will be eligible for re-entry the following year if they are in good standing, meet the re-entry requirements, and if space is available.

Program Dismissal and Re-entry

Once admitted to dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy program, students must comply with the rules and regulations of the program and any of the clinical affiliates or be subject to dismissal from the program. See dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy Student Handbook for more information.

Students must perform in a safe and competent manner in the clinical facilities and comply with the rules and regulations of dəxʷx̌ayəbus Dental Therapy department and clinical affiliates. Failure to do so may result in immediate dismissal from the clinical facility and the program. Unsafe practice in the clinical setting may result in a failing grade in clinical practicum courses.

Prior students not currently enrolled in the program and wish to re-enter must petition for readmission. Prior students who have not attended school for four or more quarters must meet with the Program Director before continuing in the program. Selected courses may need to be repeated before a student is placed in a clinical practicum. Students who have not attended for more than a year prior may need to complete practicum placement or to retake clinical, core program, and/or science courses that have been regularly updated in the curriculum. Students will be assessed based on past performance, current performance, and experience, and then given an individualized remediation plan to become eligible for practicum. Practicum placement may be delayed due to full cohorts. Students reentering may plan on being placed into the next available open practicum cohort group.

Specialized Program Information

CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE

Upon successful completion of graduation requirements, students will earn an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Dental Therapy. Graduates become eligible to be certified/licensed through regional certification/licensure boards.

DENTAL THERAPY PROGRAM LOCATIONS

The Dental Therapy program at SVC is offered at the Mount Vernon Campus and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) Dental Clinic.

Mount Vernon Campus - 2405 E College Way, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
SITC Dental Clinic - 17395 Reservation Rd., PO Box 332, La Conner, WA 98257
Students have community rotations around the state of WA that will require additional travel and potential lodging requirements. Students will be responsible for costs associated with this travel.
Preceptorship sites for quarter 10 may occur in WA state or around the country as assigned.

Program Notes

For additional information about the Dental Therapy program, go to SVC’s website at www.skagit.edu/dentaltherapy.