LSU-Alexandria and LSU Health New Orleans have launched the first dental hygiene program in Central Louisiana. Wilton Guillory Interim Head of LSU School of Dentistry says upon graduation, the four-year program will allow students to work closely with dentists.
“Two years of college where they take pre-requisite courses and then two years of dental hygiene school and they’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Science and of course, there are exams that have to be taken. After that, they will be registered hygienists to practice anywhere in the state.”
Six students will be selected each year. Students will graduate from LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry.
LSUA, the Louisiana Dental Association, and dentists have been working to fill a workforce gap of dental hygienists in Central Louisiana. Guillory says they were able to secure state funding to expand the program to Alexandria.
“With the help of our legislature, and the dentists of Central Louisiana, we’ve been talking about this for literally decades about getting a program here in Central Louisiana and it’s finally come to fruition.”
At least three of every four dentists and hygienists practicing in Louisiana today are LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry graduates. Guillory says they will help train the hygienists who are at LSUA.
“The coursework is over a very large screen and it’s zoomed in from the dental hygiene program out of New Orleans but all the clinic work will happen here in Central Louisiana at the clinic down on Jackson Street.”
Comments