The Commission on Dental Accreditation recently gave Northern Arizona University something to smile about.<\/p>\n
It awarded NAU’s Dental Hygiene Program full American Dental Association accreditation with commendations and a non-reporting status until 2013.<\/p>\n
“We are thrilled to obtain this accreditation,” said\u00a0Denise Helm<\/strong>, chair of the Dental Hygiene Program.<\/p>\n In April, the commission made a site visit to NAU, and its program met the108 required standards. Accreditation was awarded in July.<\/p>\n “The site visit and review is a rigorous process and very few programs receive commendations,” Helm said.<\/p>\n The program received two commendations: one for the diversity of the clinical enrichment experience that it provides, and another for its exceptional library staff and available learning resources.<\/p>\n Helm said having accreditation affects students because in order to work in the dental hygiene field, they must take a national and state licensing board examination that they are only permitted to take if they graduate from an accredited program.<\/p>\n The commission’s foremost criterion is that program graduates are competent in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating community-based oral health programs including health promotion and disease prevention activities.<\/p>\n NAU offers its dental hygiene students clinical internships at North Country Community Health Center, the Yavapai\/Apache Clinic and at the Hopi Health Center.<\/p>\n “We can offer great outreach programs thanks to the support we receive from the Del E. Webb Corp. and the John and Sophie Ottens Foundation,” Helm said.<\/p>\n The program was also judged on its laboratory effectiveness and equipment.<\/p>\n NAU’s program, which includes one year of prerequisite course work and three years of dental hygiene, is committed to excellence achieved thr<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"