MCC TO HELP KEEP SMILES BEAUTIFUL
Macomb Community College unveils new dental science program for its students
As administrators and local government officials gathered at the new Macomb Community College Dental Science program building Friday afternoon, the underlying theme was, “help is on the way.”
The college offered a first look at its new, state-of-the art, 12,000-square-foot dental clinic that will not only turn out much-needed dental assistants and dental hygienists, but it will also offer low-cost preventative dental services to the community.
The building sits off the southern end of MCC’s South Campus on College Park Road, just off Martin Road and west of Hayes Road in Warren. The building formerly housed graphic arts and institutional research staff. The college injected $5.6 million into remaking the building and the program and took in its first dental assistant students Aug. 23 for a 16-week program.
“Even before COVID, I used to get calls of people saying ‘we need help, we need dental assistants, does anyone know of any hygienists?’ And now I can finally say that help is on the way,” said Dr. Christopher Gorecki, the executive director of the Macomb Dental Society, which represents more than 500-member dentists. “Dental assistants and dental hygienists are an integral part of our team.”
“Help is on the way. I’m extremely proud of that statement,” said Warren Mayor Jim Fouts. “This does several things for Warren. It’s kind of nice to say we have a dental college in Warren. But what’s more important is that help is on the way when it comes to services. … People who could not normally afford dental health care are going to get it. And I think that’s extremely important.”
College president James Saw
yer said about two years ago, the college considered a partnership with Oakland Community College for a dental science program. But ultimately, MCC decided the OCC dental science base, located at its Highland Lakes campus, wouldn’t work.
“It became clear very quickly that we needed our own facility. We needed to serve Macomb County. The OCC dental facility is at the Highland Lakes campus, so it’s just too far away,” Sawyer said. “There is a program down in Wayne County, too, but again, for us, it’s about serving Macomb County and serving our students and our community.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Studies Employment Statistics, locally there is a current significant demand for both dental assistants and dental hygienists. An October 2019 search of Detroit-area job openings covering the previous 12 months resulted in 550 job postings for dental assistants and 250 for dental hygienists. A 10-year growth rate of 7% is being projected for both types of positions.
“And these are great jobs, high-paying jobs, that lead to great careers,” Sawyer said.
The non-credit dental assistant program prepares individuals over the course of 16 weeks for an entry-level position as a chairside assistant in a dental office. On-the-job responsibilities include preparing patients for dental work, sterilizing equipment, preparing instrument trays, collecting and recording patient medical and dental histories, and patient vital signs, developing dental x-rays for dental diagnosis, providing patients with information on dental hygiene, oral health care, and plaque control, and assisting dental hygienists. The median salary for a dental assistant is $35,360.
Through the two-year dental hygienist program, graduates can earn an associate of science degree and prepare for the exams for licensure. Beyond the duties that can be conducted by a dental assistant, a dental hygienist also can perform procedures such as scaling and root debridement, delivery of local anesthesia, nitrous oxide sedation, topical fluoride, applying antibiotic and antimicrobial medications, taking impressions, developing diagnostic models, taking dental x-rays, providing dental education and nutritional counseling, and various laboratory procedures. The median salary for a licensed dental hygienist is $65,000.
MCC’s dental hygienist program has entered the accreditation process. and its application is under review. The college is slated for a visit by the Commission of Dental Accreditation in January and expects to have its first dental hygienists classes in fall 2022, and be open to accepting patients in January 2023. The plan is to provide a wide range of low-cost preventative services for residents, including cleanings and x-rays, sealants for young patients, fluoride treatments, sports and night guards, bleaching and bleaching trays, and impressions for study models.
The facility features a student education center, including a laboratory with 13 dental simulators, classrooms that can project 360-degree images from the lab, and a teaching patient station in the clinic, as well as a computer lab with 36 stations. There are 20 patient stations (operatories) and multiple x-ray rooms, including a panoramic machine that captures the entire mouth in a single, twodimensional image of the teeth, upper and lower jaws, surrounding structures, and tissues.