The students, all seniors in the dental hygiene program who were doing a rotation at the Hopi Health Care Center (HHCC) in Polacca, two hours northeast of Flagstaff, took their time, walking the patient through the cleaning. That is not an atypical experience, said Steagall, who has been the coordinator of NAU\u2019s Hopi Program for two years; often, their patients have medical conditions that complicate a dental appointment or haven\u2019t seen a dentist in many years and have significant buildup, periodontal concerns and sensitivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really want to make their first experience with a cleaning a good one,\u201d said Steagall, an assistant clinical professor in the department. \u201cI try to pass that along to students, that it\u2019s important to make it a positive experience. We have a lot of patients with extreme sensitivity that can be hard to work with\u2014if you just barely touch gums or a tooth and it causes pain, it can be a real challenge to work on the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program, which is funded by the John and Sophie Ottens Foundation, helps meet two needs: providing much-needed oral health care to the Hopi population and a diverse experience for the dental hygiene students.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir services are in such high demand I would love to have them here all year long,\u201d said Dr. Gary Wilson, chief of the dental service at HHCC. \u201cThe direct benefit to the patient is improved oral health and medical health. In some patients, the need is so great that they have been placed on two- to three-month intervals between hygiene appointments in an effort to reduce the handicapping effects of periodontal disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
A day at the Hopi Health Care Center<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe students participate in a three-day rotation, working 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the dental clinic. The students pair up, with two seeing one patient for a two-hour block. It\u2019s a little longer than the average dental cleaning, Steagall said; the students check vital signs and get medical history, then do a periodontal assessment\u2014checking gums and teeth and determining what kind of cleaning the patient needs before beginning treatment.<\/p>\n![\"Britney](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20190225_145828-260x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Dental hygiene students Britney White, Logan Toner <\/em>and Rebekah Wadsworth stand with Hopi program coordinator Heather Steagall at the Hopi Health Care Center. The three did a two-week summer externship there in July 2018. Above:\u00a0Britney White and Logan Toner clean a patient’s teeth at the HHCC.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThen they start cleaning, with Steagall stopping by to check in at each step of the process to evaluate the students\u2019 work.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of patients at Hopi haven\u2019t been to a dentist in many, many years,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are lots of really difficult cases that students treat.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the last patient of the day, the group retires to an NAU-owned trailer, where they stay for two nights. They do a post-huddle, talking through their experiences, asking questions and sharing ideas. Steagall is in charge of planning dinner, and usually the students all pitch in to help cook and clean, and they sit around the table together eating and continuing their discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey always have something to share that they learned about in class but hadn\u2019t seen in clinic, so being able to apply that to the real world, they find that really useful,\u201d she said. \u201cThey always comment on how much they learn. We try to fashion the experience at the HHCC after real world experiences as it\u2019s not so structured as it can be at the NAU Dental Hygiene Clinic and experiences can vary greatly from patient to patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
After dinner, students typically do homework, relax or some combination of the two, Steagall said. The trailer includes a small computer lab that allows them to access patient records and schedules, and there\u2019s also a TV and Internet access. On Thursday and Friday mornings they return to the clinic, and Friday evening, after a final post-huddle, the students return to Flagstaff.<\/p>\n
This is one of four off-campus rotations dental hygiene students participate in during their senior year; they also go to the Yavapai\/Apache clinic in Camp Verde, the Flagstaff Medical Center and North Country Health Care. The department also has a clinic on campus where students treat local patients. One of the graduation requirements for students is to work with a variety of patients, and the rotations help to introduce diversity into their experiences. This rotation in particular puts students into contact with people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and health conditions.<\/p>\n
Some of that diversity includes the way patients approach health and medicine. The Hopi people often use holistic approaches to health, so it\u2019s not unusual to hear that patients went to a medicine man for treatment or used natural techniques instead of medications.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be open to that,\u201d Steagall said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just shut them out because they may not come back. Again, you really want to make it a positive experience for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also reminds students of another cultural difference. They are visitors there, she tells them over and over again, and they need to be respectful of the Hopi tradition of quiet. On several occasions, she has had to ask students to lower their voices and be cognizant of the peaceful nature of their culture.<\/p>\n
The importance of dental care<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe dental clinic and the NAU students provide a much-needed service to people in these rural areas, for whom the clinic is the closest option for dental care. Wilson, chief of the dental service at HHCC, said the importance of good hygiene cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n
Dental care, in addition to improving smiles and reducing sensitivity while eating and drinking, is directly correlated with people\u2019s health. At the Hopi Health Care Center, this is even more significant, as there is a larger percentage of the population with diabetes, heart disease and other medical conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many years now, a preponderance of the literature has shown a direct relationship between good medical health\u2014conditions including heart disease, diabetes, alcohol and other chemical abuse and poor nutritional intake\u2014with good oral health,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThis important relationship is associated specifically with the periodontal health of the patient. The dental hygienist plays a crucial role in helping patients struggling to improve the health of the periodontal complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the patients are benefitting. They can fill out an anonymous survey, and the reviews are always glowing. Steagall said she\u2019s had patients invite her and the students to ceremonies, such as the Bean Dance, which is a series of rituals that promote\u00a0fertility and germination, or express their appreciation through food. She laughed as she recalled one man\u2019s outreach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went out and bought burritos for everybody and brought them back and wanted to share them with us,\u201d she said. \u201cPatients also are eager to talk about their culture to the students, teaching them Hopi words like askwali<\/em>, which means thank you as said by females. The patients are always very appreciative of the care they receive.\u201d<\/p>\nAnd the 47-year-old experiencing the dentist for the first time? He\u2019s since come back with a continued interest in his oral health.<\/p>\n
History of the Hopi rotation<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rotation began in 2003, making it the longest-running volunteer health care program serving the Hopi people. Dental hygiene professor Denise Helm<\/strong> was instrumental in getting the program started. The John and Sophie Ottens Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarship and grant opportunities for Native American students and programs, paid for the purchase of the trailer and its associated costs as well as for the program coordinator.<\/p>\nHelm said she saw a need for such a partnership since most of the patients\u00a0that students see at NAU\u2019s clinic are students or retired people who don\u2019t have a lot of complex oral health needs. Many patients at the HHCC do have greater needs, and the center needed dental hygienists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a win-win,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Hopi Health Care Center needed help with hygiene care, and our students get experience with more involved patients. Even more important than the clinical skills that students gain, they gain an appreciation and better understanding for working with rural populations and diverse populations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to working at the clinic, Helm said students have gone into schools and do sealants and screenings. It\u2019s a true public health experience, she said, which is valuable for students who are considering a career in public health. She\u2019s grateful both to the Ottens Foundation and the HHCC for partnering with NAU in this program, she said.<\/p>\n
The rotation only goes during the spring and fall semesters, but Steagall started an externship program for the summer and takes three students out for two weeks and they spend every day working with patients at HHCC.<\/p>\n
\n![\"NAU](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/NAU_primary-281_3514-300x213.png\")
<\/a>Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"Britney](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/20190225_145828.jpg\")
<\/a>Then they start cleaning, with Steagall stopping by to check in at each step of the process to evaluate the students\u2019 work.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of patients at Hopi haven\u2019t been to a dentist in many, many years,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are lots of really difficult cases that students treat.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the last patient of the day, the group retires to an NAU-owned trailer, where they stay for two nights. They do a post-huddle, talking through their experiences, asking questions and sharing ideas. Steagall is in charge of planning dinner, and usually the students all pitch in to help cook and clean, and they sit around the table together eating and continuing their discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey always have something to share that they learned about in class but hadn\u2019t seen in clinic, so being able to apply that to the real world, they find that really useful,\u201d she said. \u201cThey always comment on how much they learn. We try to fashion the experience at the HHCC after real world experiences as it\u2019s not so structured as it can be at the NAU Dental Hygiene Clinic and experiences can vary greatly from patient to patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
After dinner, students typically do homework, relax or some combination of the two, Steagall said. The trailer includes a small computer lab that allows them to access patient records and schedules, and there\u2019s also a TV and Internet access. On Thursday and Friday mornings they return to the clinic, and Friday evening, after a final post-huddle, the students return to Flagstaff.<\/p>\n
This is one of four off-campus rotations dental hygiene students participate in during their senior year; they also go to the Yavapai\/Apache clinic in Camp Verde, the Flagstaff Medical Center and North Country Health Care. The department also has a clinic on campus where students treat local patients. One of the graduation requirements for students is to work with a variety of patients, and the rotations help to introduce diversity into their experiences. This rotation in particular puts students into contact with people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and health conditions.<\/p>\n
Some of that diversity includes the way patients approach health and medicine. The Hopi people often use holistic approaches to health, so it\u2019s not unusual to hear that patients went to a medicine man for treatment or used natural techniques instead of medications.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be open to that,\u201d Steagall said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just shut them out because they may not come back. Again, you really want to make it a positive experience for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also reminds students of another cultural difference. They are visitors there, she tells them over and over again, and they need to be respectful of the Hopi tradition of quiet. On several occasions, she has had to ask students to lower their voices and be cognizant of the peaceful nature of their culture.<\/p>\n
The importance of dental care<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe dental clinic and the NAU students provide a much-needed service to people in these rural areas, for whom the clinic is the closest option for dental care. Wilson, chief of the dental service at HHCC, said the importance of good hygiene cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n
Dental care, in addition to improving smiles and reducing sensitivity while eating and drinking, is directly correlated with people\u2019s health. At the Hopi Health Care Center, this is even more significant, as there is a larger percentage of the population with diabetes, heart disease and other medical conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many years now, a preponderance of the literature has shown a direct relationship between good medical health\u2014conditions including heart disease, diabetes, alcohol and other chemical abuse and poor nutritional intake\u2014with good oral health,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThis important relationship is associated specifically with the periodontal health of the patient. The dental hygienist plays a crucial role in helping patients struggling to improve the health of the periodontal complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the patients are benefitting. They can fill out an anonymous survey, and the reviews are always glowing. Steagall said she\u2019s had patients invite her and the students to ceremonies, such as the Bean Dance, which is a series of rituals that promote\u00a0fertility and germination, or express their appreciation through food. She laughed as she recalled one man\u2019s outreach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went out and bought burritos for everybody and brought them back and wanted to share them with us,\u201d she said. \u201cPatients also are eager to talk about their culture to the students, teaching them Hopi words like askwali<\/em>, which means thank you as said by females. The patients are always very appreciative of the care they receive.\u201d<\/p>\nAnd the 47-year-old experiencing the dentist for the first time? He\u2019s since come back with a continued interest in his oral health.<\/p>\n
History of the Hopi rotation<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rotation began in 2003, making it the longest-running volunteer health care program serving the Hopi people. Dental hygiene professor Denise Helm<\/strong> was instrumental in getting the program started. The John and Sophie Ottens Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarship and grant opportunities for Native American students and programs, paid for the purchase of the trailer and its associated costs as well as for the program coordinator.<\/p>\nHelm said she saw a need for such a partnership since most of the patients\u00a0that students see at NAU\u2019s clinic are students or retired people who don\u2019t have a lot of complex oral health needs. Many patients at the HHCC do have greater needs, and the center needed dental hygienists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a win-win,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Hopi Health Care Center needed help with hygiene care, and our students get experience with more involved patients. Even more important than the clinical skills that students gain, they gain an appreciation and better understanding for working with rural populations and diverse populations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to working at the clinic, Helm said students have gone into schools and do sealants and screenings. It\u2019s a true public health experience, she said, which is valuable for students who are considering a career in public health. She\u2019s grateful both to the Ottens Foundation and the HHCC for partnering with NAU in this program, she said.<\/p>\n
The rotation only goes during the spring and fall semesters, but Steagall started an externship program for the summer and takes three students out for two weeks and they spend every day working with patients at HHCC.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And the 47-year-old experiencing the dentist for the first time? He\u2019s since come back with a continued interest in his oral health.<\/p>\n
History of the Hopi rotation<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rotation began in 2003, making it the longest-running volunteer health care program serving the Hopi people. Dental hygiene professor Denise Helm<\/strong> was instrumental in getting the program started. The John and Sophie Ottens Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarship and grant opportunities for Native American students and programs, paid for the purchase of the trailer and its associated costs as well as for the program coordinator.<\/p>\nHelm said she saw a need for such a partnership since most of the patients\u00a0that students see at NAU\u2019s clinic are students or retired people who don\u2019t have a lot of complex oral health needs. Many patients at the HHCC do have greater needs, and the center needed dental hygienists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a win-win,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Hopi Health Care Center needed help with hygiene care, and our students get experience with more involved patients. Even more important than the clinical skills that students gain, they gain an appreciation and better understanding for working with rural populations and diverse populations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to working at the clinic, Helm said students have gone into schools and do sealants and screenings. It\u2019s a true public health experience, she said, which is valuable for students who are considering a career in public health. She\u2019s grateful both to the Ottens Foundation and the HHCC for partnering with NAU in this program, she said.<\/p>\n
The rotation only goes during the spring and fall semesters, but Steagall started an externship program for the summer and takes three students out for two weeks and they spend every day working with patients at HHCC.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Helm said she saw a need for such a partnership since most of the patients\u00a0that students see at NAU\u2019s clinic are students or retired people who don\u2019t have a lot of complex oral health needs. Many patients at the HHCC do have greater needs, and the center needed dental hygienists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a win-win,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Hopi Health Care Center needed help with hygiene care, and our students get experience with more involved patients. Even more important than the clinical skills that students gain, they gain an appreciation and better understanding for working with rural populations and diverse populations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to working at the clinic, Helm said students have gone into schools and do sealants and screenings. It\u2019s a true public health experience, she said, which is valuable for students who are considering a career in public health. She\u2019s grateful both to the Ottens Foundation and the HHCC for partnering with NAU in this program, she said.<\/p>\n
The rotation only goes during the spring and fall semesters, but Steagall started an externship program for the summer and takes three students out for two weeks and they spend every day working with patients at HHCC.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a>Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n