Dental hygiene clinic provides service to public

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Students are back on college campuses for a new year, and at Central Community College in Hastings that means dental service is back as well.

Dental hygiene students are now taking appointments for both adults and children to provide anything from cleaning, x-rays, fluorides, to sealants.

Students must complete 12 hours of clinical training weekly, and they also rotate between several facilities to provide dental services. Program director Wanda Cloet said those experiences help students prepare for their career.

“It makes them very well-rounded when they graduate,” she said. “They’re very well experienced. Dental hygiene students must also sit for two boards. They have to sit for a national board, which is the didactic or the knowledge, and they also have to sit for a clinical board too.”

Cloet said students must pass both exams to become a licensed dentist, and there’s a minimal fee for the services. She said providing this service to the community benefits both sides.

“It’s a two-way street,” said Cloet. “Not only are students benefiting from the clinical practice, our patients here in the community have a place where they can receive preventative services at a lower discounted fee.”

Cloet said price is determined by the service and adds that students are skilled enough to perform a root canal. She says she has the same goal for each student.

“Every student is different as far as the way they learn but we want that end goal the same for everyone to be graduate, pass their boards, and become a registered dental hygienist,” she said.

Cloet added the price they charge is roughly a third of what you would pay at a dentist office.

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