Division of Dental Hygiene celebrates 50 years during National Dental Hygiene Month
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) School of Dentistry’s Department of Periodontics, Division of Dental Hygiene, is celebrating 50 years of educating dental hygienists, a milestone that falls during National Dental Hygiene Month in October. The first class began in 1976, training for a two-year certificate through what was then the School of Allied Health Sciences with 43 students graduating in 1978. Today the division offers a bachelor’s degree and educates students in San Antonio and Laredo.
The School of Dentistry is one of only three dental schools in Texas offering a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. The division also operates a satellite program at The University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo. The programs in both San Antonio and Laredo have seen increased interest and applications in their programs in recent years. Students gain hands-on experience in both clinical and community settings and complete required clinical rotations at several locations across San Antonio and Laredo, including offering care in UT Dentistry clinics. According to Magda A. de la Torre, RDH, MPH, director of the Division of Dental Hygiene, the program emphasizes outreach and service, requiring students to volunteer in diverse community settings beyond standard accreditation requirements.
The program provides preventive care through clinics, often to patients with limited access to dental services. Patients can also book cleanings directly with dental hygiene students. Following the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners rule from May 2024 that lets certified hygienists give local infiltration anesthesia when a dentist delegates it, the program now also trains students to administer it.
Growing the dental hygiene program
The division’s most recent expansion is the Laredo satellite program, which welcomed its first students in July 2023. “We opened the Laredo campus three years ago with state-of-the-art equipment because we saw the need,” said de la Torre. “We wanted to commit to an underserved community in that region. This campus improves workforce availability there and addresses access-to-care issues.”
Laredo students train at a separate site, but they are part of the same class and program as their San Antonio peers. “We look at it as two campuses, one program so they all have the same advantages,” de la Torre said.
The division also offers a dental hygiene bachelor’s degree completion program for licensed dental hygienists who want to continue their education. Courses are online and can be tailored to each student's schedule and needs.
Serving the community
Junior and senior dental hygiene students provide treatment to their patients under the supervision of licensed dental hygiene faculty from the School of Dentistry. “The dental hygienist is often the medical professional people see most on a regular basis. That makes it easier for them to spot any potential health challenges or need for follow-up care from other areas. So many health issues show themselves or start with symptoms in the mouth, gums, or teeth,” de la Torre said.
Bringing expertise back to campus
Entering students start with a good support system from the faculty and classmates, as many of the division’s current faculty members are graduates of the program. Some of today’s students may one day return to teach the next generation of hygienists.
“With every patient that my students provide care to, it’s like I’m providing that care because of the impact the program has had on the student,” de la Torre said.
Applications for the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene programs open Oct. 26 and close Dec. 31. Find more information about the dental hygiene programs and how to apply at dental.uthscsa.edu.
To learn more about becoming a patient in the dental hygiene teaching clinic, visit UTDentistry.org/DentalHygiene.