General Clinic Information

Welcome to the Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Clinic and thank you for your interest in receiving dental care in our program. Our goals are to teach dental hygiene students and provide quality care for their patients. In our teaching facility, your care will be provided by Dental Hygiene students who are directly supervised by licensed Dental Hygiene faculty.

Our Dental Hygiene Program began in 1969 and is fully accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation. Our graduates are awarded the degree, Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene.

1. How do I become a patient in the Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Clinic?

   The Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Program provides comprehensive dental hygiene care at its dental hygiene care facility from September through May. Services are available to the general public as well as to the college’s students, faculty, alumni, and staff. The clinic operates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between September and May, with the addition of Thursday in the spring.

2. When are appointments available?

   Treatment in the Dental Hygiene clinic is by appointment only. Clinic hours are: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. and 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Clinic days may vary according to the Dental Hygiene program schedule. Contact: Departmental Assistant, Betsy Giraud at 732-906-2536 to schedule an appointment.

3. Where is the Dental Hygiene Clinic located?

   Patients of the Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Clinic are treated in L’Hommedieu Hall located on the first floor, Room 164. Patients should park in Parking Lot 6 or Lot 6A to be closest to the dental hygiene clinic.

4. What happens at the first appointment?

   Patients receive non-discriminatory care and are charged according to the services rendered. Every patient is fully evaluated through medical and dental history review, blood pressure screening, oral examination, oral cancer screening, dental and periodontal assessments and dental x-rays. Patients receive oral hygiene instruction, dental scaling and polishing, fluoride treatment, sealants, diet and nutritional review, and other preventive services. A written referral is provided to patients who require further dental treatment.

5. How long are the dental hygiene appointments?

   Treatment at the dental hygiene clinic proceeds more slowly than in private dental practice because patient care is provided by students and thoroughly monitored by the faculty. Preventive treatment appointments are usually three and a half hours in length, and many patients need more than one visit for the completion of services. The clinical faculty realizes that the patient’s time is valuable, and they strive to keep to a minimum the number of appointments a patient must have.

   If multiple appointments are necessary to complete treatment, no additional fee is charged to the patient.

6. Who provides my treatment?

   The facility is staffed and supervised by licensed dental hygienists and dentists. Dental hygiene students, who provide dental hygiene care, have extensive education and training and have demonstrated competence in clinical services before being given permission to treat the public. The program in Dental Hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and has been granted the accreditation status of approval.

7. Does the Dental Hygiene clinic follow safety precautions and guidelines?

   In order to promote asepsis and to protect patients, the Dental Hygiene students and faculty follow strict Standard Precautions and current Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations for infection control.