Incorporating veterinary preventive dental instruction into a traditional dental hygiene program.

A traditional dental hygiene program at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, (UTHSCSA) incorporates veterinary preventive dental instruction into its community dentistry course. Students in the Certificate in Dental Hygiene Program attend two hours of didactic instruction on veterinary dentistry during the fall semester of their final year. The following spring semester students may choose a rotation in a veterinary clinic as one of their optional alternative practice sites. In addition, students are given the opportunity to participate in community service activities that are structured around veterinary dental care.