1.1 - General Clinic Information

Clinic hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Clinic sessions are 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Every effort should be made to have all electronic/evaluation forms completed, procedure codes entered, session notes completed, and authorized/approved by the attending faculty. Students should turn in instruments for sterilization within the allotted clinic time. Organized and efficient time management builds patient confidence. 

Students are not permitted to provide any clinical treatment outside regular clinic periods without specific permission from a faculty member and that faculty member must be present in the clinic. Students may bring their patients back into the clinical area 5 minutes before the clinic session begins with the expressed verbal permission of a faculty member on the floor. Treating patients without direct faculty supervision is a serious infraction of COD clinic policy resulting in the filing of a Professionalism Concerns Report (PCR). The PCR will be given to the Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs, the Director for Quality Assurance, the Director of Compliance, and the Dean of Student Affairs. There will be a loss of clinic privileges for no less than 1 week, resulting in a loss of RVUs for that week.

See section 3.4 Attendance in the COD Student Handbook. 

See section 3.4 Attendance in the COD Student Handbook.

A schedule is published each semester that indicates the disciplines providing clinic coverage on each half-day of the week and when specific clinics are closed for cleaning and re-stocking supplies.  The schedule will also indicate the student academic class (DS2, DS3, and DS4) and the maximum number of students scheduled for each clinic session. The clinic schedule will be e-mailed to all students at the beginning of each semester.

The clinics are restricted solely to the academic classes designated on the schedule. Students may not use the clinic if their class is scheduled to be in a lecture or laboratory. For example: if a patient requires emergency care during a time when the student is not appointed to be in the clinic, the student must get written permission from [1] the course instructor to be excused from class and [2] the attending clinical faculty (Department Faculty or GPD, as applicable and the Clinic Manager) to be allowed into the clinic to treat the emergency.

A clinic schedule is published each semester indicating where and when the hygiene students will provide clinic coverage on half-days each week. The clinic schedule will be e-mailed to all students at the beginning of each semester and available on Canvas under the appropriate clinic course. Clinics are restricted solely to the academic classes designated on the clinic schedule. Students may not use the clinic when their class is scheduled to be in a lecture.

During the third and fourth years, each dental student is required to participate in several clinical rotations. Scheduled rotations always take precedence over regular clinic time; when students are on rotation, they must attend every assigned session. Students may not treat patients in other clinics when on rotation without the permission of the department conducting the rotation and the department covering the clinic they wish to work.

Once published, rotation schedules are final. Any requested changes in the schedule will be considered only if approved by the involved department and the Division Head of Comprehensive Care and if such changes will not compromise the student coverage necessary to staff the rotation.

Dental Students:

The minimum clinical experiences in Periodontics, Operative Dentistry, Endodontics, Removable Prosthodontics, and Fixed Prosthodontics are summarized in the next few pages.  Other clinical disciplines (Oral Diagnosis, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Occlusion, and Oral Surgery) also have specific expectations; however, their minimum clinical experiences are generally managed in conjunction with other departments or through clinic rotations. For specific information regarding these disciplines and their current requirements, consult the individual departments and/or appropriate clinic manuals.

The following are the current clinical divisions:

Comprehensive Care 
Endodontics
Occlusion
Operative
Oral Diagnosis
Oral Surgery
Orthodontics
Pediatric Dentistry
Periodontics
Prosthodontics

During clinic appointments, students should remove all items non-related to treatment (books, backpacks, notes, etc.) and place them in their assigned locker. Students must reserve countertops for instruments and supplies needed for treatment. Never seat the patient until after the armamentarium is set up and the operatory is prepared. 

For prosthodontic procedures completed at the operatory, place white lab paper on the countertops. Use the adjacent clinic laboratory for routine laboratory procedures; do not perform laboratory work in clinic operatories. 

Refer to section 10 Health and Safety/Infection Control for the appropriate infection control procedures to use for each clinic appointment. After the patient has been dismissed and the dental unit has been disinfected, reposition your operatory equipment as follows: 

1. Return the dental chair to an upright position, place the rheostat on a paper towel and place it on the chair seat, then raise the chair to at least the length of the rheostat cord. 

2. Reposition the dental lamp and handpiece unit over the center of the chair seat. 

3. Return the assistant cabinet to its position under the operatory counter. 

4. Position operator and assistant stools next to counters. 

5. Report any problems with your assigned operator unit to the Inventory Associate. 

As healthcare facilities, the clinics must be kept as clean as possible and must present a desirable, safe, and professional image to the public. Students are responsible for the cleanliness of the operatory assigned to them and for any clinic laboratory space they use. 

Food and drink may not be taken into operatories, reception areas, dispensaries, consultation rooms, or x-ray facilities.

The College and University are tobacco-free environments; tobacco use, in any form, including E-cigarettes, is strictly prohibited. 

No animals are allowed in the dental building except for service animals. See section 2.9 Service Animal Policy. 

Clinical Appearance: All workforce members and students must comply with the following guidelines for clinical participation.  

Clinical Appearance: 

1. Hair should be clean, well-groomed, neutral or natural color, kept secured away from the face and front of the over-gown, and out of the field of operation so that it does not require handling during a procedure. 

2. Men must be clean-shaven, or beards and mustaches must be clean, neatly trimmed, and well-groomed 

3. Personal body hygiene is required so that offensive body odor is avoided 

4. Avoid strong perfumes, colognes, or aftershaves 

5. Fingernails must be kept clean, short, and well-manicured 

6. Fingernail polish/gel nails must be free of any chips or wear 

7. Artificial nails are strictly prohibited 

8. Jewelry should be kept out of the field of operation.

   • Watches must be covered by the over-gown.

   • Earrings cannot hang past the bottom of the ear lobe.

   • Rings can be worn if smooth and do not compromise the glove’s integrity.

9. Visible tattoos must be covered 

Clinical Attire: 

1. COD ID badges must always be worn and visible. 

2. Scrub top and pants must be clean, wrinkle-free, and matching. Scrub sets must be in the same color as the student's class.

3. Scrubs must be properly fitted; they cannot be excessively tight or baggy. Scrubs must permit bending, leaning, and squatting while preserving modesty. 

4. Student scrub tops must be embroidered using the following criteria:
   a. 1 centimeter tall
   b. Full block font
   c. White thread
   d. First and last name

5. Scrub pants can be a jogger or traditional style and must reach the ankles when standing. 

6. White- or solid-colored T-shirts or long-sleeved shirts can be worn under the scrubs as long as they are tucked inside the scrub pant 

7. Socks are required 

8. Shoes must be protective, clean, closed-toed, solid upper (no visible perforations), with a rubber or leather sole 

9. Outer garments may be worn if the jackets have been purchased through The Uniform Shoppe. They must be embroidered with the first and last name of the student. They may be worn in the clinic, but not at the chairside during patient treatment. They may be worn outside the clinical environment as they are not treatment jackets. 

10. Workforce members are responsible for laundering their scrubs.

If a student wants to purchase additional scrubs, the scrubs must comply with the above criteria. The student may be sent home to change if purchases of scrubs do not meet the dress code criteria.

A long-sleeve protective gown (provided in each clinic) is required for procedures when aerosols are anticipated. Gowns may NOT be worn in public areas including bathrooms, PSC offices, and reception areas. They may be worn from clinic to clinic on the 3rd floor but may not be worn outside of the clinic on the 2nd and 4th floors. 

Violations of this policy will be handled in the following manner: 

For students: 

First offense: Written warning (copy to Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Director of Compliance). 

Second offense: Professional Concerns Report (PCR) filed (copy to Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Director of Compliance). 

Third offense: Appearance before the appropriate Periodic Assessment Committee, which could result in further disciplinary action. 

For workforce members: 

First infraction: e-mail warning from Director of Compliance to workforce member cc’d to workforce member’s supervisor. 

Second infraction: a review with Supervisor and Director of Compliance; potential training: review on D2L and quiz within 10 days of notification of infraction. 

Third infraction: reviewed by the Dean of the College of Dentistry.  

Fourth infraction: disciplinary measure up to and including dismissal. 

Any incident involving patient endangerment may result in immediate disciplinary action. 

All freshman and sophomore dental students must work in pairs in the clinic. Junior and senior dental students work solo during all clinic sessions except when in the pediatric or orthodontic clinic, where pairing is required. Additionally, DS3 students may be paired for certain courses involving patient treatment-specific disciplines (check with individual departments for further clarification).

The Department of Periodontics determines an initial pairing of students in the freshman class; however, the clinic partners assigned for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year will be assigned by the Director of Comprehensive Care. Students are required to always work with their designated partner when pairing is mandatory. Exceptions must be authorized by the Course Director, Group Practice Director, or the Director of Clinics. Failure to observe the clinic pairings while scheduling patients will result in clinic suspension, the length of which will be at the discretion of the clinical course director. Students are also expected to share available clinic sessions so they and their partners have access to an equal amount of time to treat their respective patients.

Because student pairings are used in the development of rotation schedules, students may not switch partners without the approval of the Director of Comprehensive Care. For pairs wishing to change partners, all four students involved must personally inform the Director of Comprehensive Care that they agree to the switch. Even if all parties agree, the request will be postponed if there is any potential adverse impact on rotation schedules. 

If your partner is absent during a clinic session when pairing is required, notify the attending faculty member in that clinic who will determine the appropriate course of action. In most instances, students must find another classmate to assist them. 

For dental hygiene students, pairing is required only during the fall semester of the first year. The Department of Dental Hygiene pairs hygiene students for courses.

Patients may park in the Stonewall Parking Garage (P4), northeast of and across the street from the College. To park in the garage without being charged, the patient must have their parking ticket validated at the clinic where they are seen for their appointment. All patients must be escorted to the PSC or 3rd-floor receptionist for payment upon dismissal (If no payment is due or no fee is assessed, the patient must still be escorted to the PSC or 3rd-floor receptionist for checkout).

Patients may not park in the driveway in front of the building. This area is reserved for the loading/unloading of patients only. Parking in this area without proper permission may result in your patient's car being towed at their expense. If your patient is handicapped and has the appropriate placard, they may park in the designated handicapped parking spaces.

The College of Dentistry has a patient shuttle service to and from the P4 parking garage and the college's front door. The shuttle service hours are Monday through Friday 7:45 am to 4:45 pm.