SIU Carbondale Dental Hygiene Students Also Receive CDHC Certification

The dental hygiene program at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale is unique not only because it is the only school in the state to offer a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, but also because the program includes the education required to earn the community dental health coordinator (CDHC) certification. The CDHC was created by the American Dental Association and is designed to offer community-based prevention, care coordination, and patient navigation to populations with little to no access to professional dental care. The CDHC curriculum is a 9-month intensive online program that students begin during their junior year. The addition of the CDHC to the dental hygiene program has been funded over the past 5 years through a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health. SIU Carbondale administrators, however, have decided to continue the integration of the CDHC certification into the dental hygiene curriculum due to its high value for students and the communities they will serve. Click here to read more.