Karen Luna and Margaret Gergley, students in the Dental Hygiene program at Greenville Technical College (GTC), represented the college and dental hygiene students across the state at the American Dental Hygienists’ Association annual conference, held in Louisville, Kentucky in June.
Luna serves as secretary for the South Carolina Student American Dental Hygienists’ Association, an affiliate chapter of the national professional association. Gergley competed against other students representing colleges nationwide in a podium presentation about oral health, presenting “The Link Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Oral Cancer.”
GTC produces dental assistants and hygienists who are well-prepared for the workforce, thanks to a combination of classroom instruction, technology that supports what they are learning, and hands-on experiences. Students practice hand instrumentation on dental tooth models in a simulation lab. Human patient simulators in the Simulation Technologies and Training Center help prepare graduates to handle emergency situations. Work in the college’s 33-chair Dental Hygiene Clinic gives students real-world experience that builds confidence as it provides for the dental health needs of the community.