Our Mission

Aligning with the Mission and Educational Goals of the New York City College of Technology, the City Tech's Dental Hygiene Program is committed to academic excellence while providing accessibility and equity through an inclusive and welcoming learning environment. Our program appreciates the distinctiveness of our culturally and ethnically diverse student body and considers each learner's unique potential as future dental hygienists and their impact on the public's oral and overall health. Our mission is to foster the development of our students to become the influential professionals devoted to lifelong learning, who can address real-world oral health issues using critical thinking and reasoning skills, evidence-based practices, and emerging technologies and are motivated to contribute to the field of research, academics, and interprofessional collaboration.

To support our mission, the educational program at CityTech will:

• Offer a course of study that integrates various fields of study and is grounded in research, reflecting modern practices in health care.
• Inspire a passion for scientific inquiry and lifelong learning in dental hygiene students so that they may contribute to the advancement of the field and its practice.
• Promote the appreciation of good oral and systemic health though clinical education based on a preventative strategy, with the ultimate objective of reducing oral health inequities.
• Educate future dental hygienists to practice ethically and professionally while providing patient-centered, comprehensive dental hygiene treatments supported by evidence.
• Offer students the opportunity to participate in community service initiatives that further the goals of their educational institution, their profession, and society at large.

A dental hygienist is a licensed professional who is an integral member of the dental health team.

Dental hygienists provide therapeutic services, as well as education to the public in accordance with New York State Dental Hygiene Practice Act. The educational process affords the graduate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality oral health care to a diverse population of patients in various settings. The NYCCT Dental Hygiene program follows the guidelines and utilizes the framework provided by the American Dental Educators' Association (ADEA), American Dental Hygienists' Association, and the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Standards for Dental Hygiene Education.

The graduates of the NYCCT Dental Hygiene Program will develop the following competencies during their course of study encompassing general education, biomedical sciences, dental sciences and dental hygiene sciences.

• Graduates will be competent in delivering dental hygiene care to diverse populations of clients and communities, demonstrating the professional behaviors consistent with dental hygiene Standards of Care, legal regulations, and the Core Values of the ADHA Code of Ethics. (PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS)
• Graduates will be competent in effective, culturally-responsible health communication with patients, communities, and health care professionals to promote oral and systemic health and achieve optimal, patient- and community-centered oral health outcomes. (HEALTH PROMOTION, DISEASE PREVENTION AND COMMUNICATION)
• Graduates will be competent in utilizing critical thinking and reasoning skills to analyze current scientific research and evaluate evolving technologies and advanced diagnostic and treatment modalities towards achieving optimal oral health outcomes. (PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRACTICE)
• Graduates will be competent in applying continued self-assessment to support and facilitate their professional development, knowledge, and skills as a foundation for maintaining competency and quality assurance in patient care and practice management. (PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY)
• Graduates will be competent in all phases of the Dental Hygiene Process of Care delivery, including assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, implementation, evaluation and documentation of care and maintenance provided to patients of all patient populations (child, adolescent, adult, geriatric, and special needs) and all types of classifications of periodontal diseases. (PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND CLINICAL SKILLS)