For admission to the Bachelor of Science and Masters of Dental Hygiene programs at
the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, students are expected to be able
to successfully meet the Technical Standards as outlined below. Students are required
to sign the Technical Standards Commitment form indicating their understanding and
ability to meet these standards either with or without accommodations (for persons
with documented disabilities.) Questions about these technical standards should be
directed to the program director.
UTHSC receives applications from a wide variety of potential students, including those
with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations to help students meet these technical
standards will be provided where appropriate. Any student wishing for accommodations
should contact the Student Academic Support Service. Information regarding Disability
Support Services can be found in the Catalog.
In the event a student cannot fulfill these Technical Standards with or without reasonable
accommodations at any time in their program, the student will be ineligible for admission
or continued enrollment in the program.
In addition to ensuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical
criteria for the Dental Hygiene Program, it is imperative that the student possess
the ability to provide for the safety of patients and others. This is the foundation
of all Technical Standards and if this cannot be demonstrated, the student is deemed
unable to meet the criteria outlined by the Technical Standards.
Visual and Perceptual SkillsThe practice of clinical dental hygiene requires that the student possess fine motor
skills to hold small dental instruments while working within the limited confines
of the oral cavity. Depth perception and excellent hand-eye coordination are required
when using sharp instruments to enter the oral cavity and perform functions within
the oral cavity.
Other Sensory SkillsStudents must have correctable hearing in at least one ear and be able to develop
reasonable skills of percussion and auscultation. Sensory and motor innervation of
the hand and arm muscles must be intact and functioning normally as fine motor and
tactile skills are an essential component of this profession.
Motor SkillsStudents must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from a patient
by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic modalities. Candidates
must also be able to perform the motor movement skills necessary to render clinical
dental hygiene treatment, and have the physical strength to move themselves (by walker,
cane or crutches as necessary) to a position enabling them to provide dental care.
Additionally, the candidate must possess the strength to assist a patient in transferring
themselves to and from a dental chair, and whenever necessary, perform cardiopulmonary
resuscitation for an extended period of time. Fine motor skills are expected of every
student. The candidate should have full manual dexterity, including the functioning
of both arms, both wrists, both hands, both thumbs, and three fingers on each hand.
Necessary clinical skills involve procedures requiring (but not limited to) grasping,
fingering, pinching, pushing, pulling, holding, extending, and rotation.
Intellectual, Conceptual, and Cognitive SkillsStudents must have the ability to measure, assess, calculate reason, analyze, and
synthesize data. Problem solving, critical thinking and diagnosis (which include obtaining,
interpreting, and documenting information) are essential skills. The ability to understand
and comprehend three-dimensional relationships is necessary.
Communication SkillsThe student is expected to be able to communicate clearly in English at a level of
understanding appropriate to the ability of an individual patient to understand. This
communication ability is expected both in the oral and written form. The clinical
practice of dental hygiene requires the ability to accurately transfer gathered data
into a patient record. Included in this area is therapeutic communication in which
a candidate is expected to have (or be able to develop) skill in coaching, facilitating,
and touching.
Emotional Stability/Personal TemperamentDirect interaction with patients requires that students are able to routinely demonstrate
critical thinking, respond calmly, evenly and efficiently, and utilize good listening
and communication skills. Students must have the ability to handle the stressors of
academically rigorous coursework, as well as stress associated with working in a busy
clinical setting with a variety of patients under time and patient management constraints.
Time management skills are needed to meet deadlines and time critical tasks associated
with professional education and practice. Prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines is
expected. Compliance with clinical and workplace rules and regulations related to
successful and safe clinical practice is required. The student must possess and demonstrate
professional attributes and appearance.
