(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Dental Hygiene program and Red Square Dental & Orthodontics have partnered to provide TSTC students with increased hands-on training.
On Jan. 17, TSTC and the Edinburg-based dental clinic signed an articulation agreement focused on providing an exceptional educational experience for TSTC’s Dental Hygiene students that will align with their future careers.
As part of the “Smile Transplant Alliance” agreement, TSTC Dental Hygiene students will participate in external rotations and offer vital care to uninsured patients and organ transplant candidates through a collaboration with the DHR Health Transplant Institute.
Raquel Rico, TSTC’s Dental Hygiene program team lead, said it will be rewarding for both students and patients.
“This will bring awareness to what we will be able to accomplish orally and systemically for the patients,” Rico said.
Eladio Jaimez, provost of TSTC’s Harlingen campus, said the partnership will help to meet demand for health care in the Rio Grande Valley.
“Creating this hands-on training opportunity for our students with a new industry partner will ensure our graduates are trained and highly skilled once they graduate,” he said.
Pedro Salazar, CEO of Red Square Dental & Orthodontics, emphasized the need for dental hygienists who are compassionate and empathetic and who have experience working with medically compromised people.
“We are trying to create an oral health system that will help us develop dental hygienists who could be potential employees in the future.”
Dr. Sridhar R. Allam, director of the DHR Health Transplant Institute, said he considers dental hygienists to be an integral part of the transplant team.
“Dental hygienists do an excellent job of watching for any complications after a transplant has been completed,” he said.
To learn more about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
