Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) and LSU Health New Orleans announced the launch of the first dental hygiene program in Central Louisiana. Working together, LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry expanded its dental hygiene program to an off-campus instructional site located in LSUA’s downtown campus.
The dental hygiene program is a two-year Bachelor of Science program that spans students’ junior and senior years of college. The curriculum is designed to challenge and empower students, covering courses like oral diagnosis, radiology, and physiology. Six students are selected each year, ensuring a focused and personalized educational experience. Students graduate from LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry.
“Although we are in New Orleans, we serve all of Louisiana – North and South. East and West. Urban and Rural,” said Steve Nelson, MD, interim chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. “Because Alexandria is recognized as a health professional shortage area and there is a great need for dental hygienists and improved access to care, we have been working with LSUA since 2019, along with a strong local contingent of dentists, association reps, the Louisiana Dental Association, and the Louisiana legislature to expand our dental hygiene program here. We owe special thanks to Senator Jimmy Harris for putting the funds in the budget and State Senator Glen Womack for helping to keep them in.”
Dental hygienists are licensed healthcare professionals who work closely with dentists to ensure patients maintain optimal oral health and dental hygiene. Their primary objective is to treat and prevent oral diseases affecting the teeth and gums.
In 2019, shortly after becoming Chancellor of LSUA, Paul Coreil received an outreach from Dr. Trey Carlton, President of the Central Louisiana Dental Association, who expressed the community's strong desire to establish a dental hygiene pathway at LSUA. Together, they engaged with the Dean of the LSU Dental School in New Orleans, who embraced the idea. Tragically, the dean's untimely passing and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily stalled these plans.
In 2021, Carlton and Coreil joined forces with Annette Droddy, executive director of the Louisiana Dental Association, LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor Steve Nelson, MD, and School of Dentistry leadership. United in their mission, they collaborated to secure state appropriations that would enable the expansion of the dental hygiene program to Alexandria.
With funding secured and renovations completed at a downtown Alexandria facility by Rapides Regional Medical Center, the dental hygiene program launched this fall.