Dental Screening for nursing school?

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I read on my college website about the screenings for allied health programs. I am registering for CNA program this Fall. After that I hope to be accepted into RN program. BUT....I have a few cavities and have been avoiding my dentist for a reason....if they find cavities, what, I can't go to school?:confused: I'm just curious about their reasoning.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

wow thats funny! I don't know my school I just have to get a physical and make sure my immunizations are current. I wouldn't mind if they paid for it though, I could use a good teeth cleaning :)

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LOL....I don't think you have to worry. When I had my physical, they didn't dig in my mouth to check for cavities. Having cavities doesn't mean you're banned from nursing school! Good luck!

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Yes, they just want to make sure that you're physically able to carry out the duties of a nurse (standing for long periods of time, bending over, reaching up, etc.) and that you're of no risk to patients or other workers. That's why most nursing schools require that you provide an immunization record and have a TB test performed. I was recovering from strep throat when I had my physical done!

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A physical doesn't involve dental exam.

Usually you need a dental exam to get into the Dental Hygienist program.

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A physical doesn't involve dental exam.

Usually you need a dental exam to get into the Dental Hygienist program.

Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me either....can you not be a dental hygienist if you have cavities?

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I believe some nursing programs in this area require a dental exam, because my dentist asked me if I needed a report sent.

I am curious about your reasoning, OP. Go get your cavities filled. Ideally, you avoid cavities with good dietary selections and brushing, flossing, and mouthwash. But if you know you have cavities, letting it go only degrades your teeth. Fillings are about $250, each root canal will cost you $850 or so if an oral surgeon does it, then you have the additional $700 - $750 for a crown from your regular dentist. An implant to replace one tooth runs about $2000 or $3000, I believe. It's stupid to not go to the dentist for 6-month cleanings.

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Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me either....can you not be a dental hygienist if you have cavities?

They want to make sure you can take care of your own teeth before allowing you to take care of others.

I don't think they would rule out someone over a cavity, but if half your teeth are rotten, they you could probably bet they wouldn't let you in (hygiene school that is.)

What's funny is the dental hygiene school seemed more picky and competitive when compared to the nursing school (at least in my area.)

Anyways,

OP- you mention "screening for allied health programs." Nursing is not a part of the Allied Health field. Allied health careers are like sonographers, radiation therapists, surgical tech, paramedics, etc.

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I read on my college website about the screenings for allied health programs. I am registering for CNA program this Fall. After that I hope to be accepted into RN program. BUT....I have a few cavities and have been avoiding my dentist for a reason....if they find cavities, what, I can't go to school?:confused: I'm just curious about their reasoning.

I saw this too

and i wish i could say my teeth are great,,BUT they arent

i dont know how invloved the screening is but i recall seeing one school that had that listed

I dont know if that was just a general catagory and someone TYPED it that way or if they actually do a dental check up.I wish my teeth were a lot better but I dont have the funds now to fix it.My fault I know...but that doesnt mean i would make a bad nurse

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They want to make sure you can take care of your own teeth before allowing you to take care of others.

I don't think they would rule out someone over a cavity, but if half your teeth are rotten, they you could probably bet they wouldn't let you in (hygiene school that is.)

What's funny is the dental hygiene school seemed more picky and competitive when compared to the nursing school (at least in my area.)

Anyways,

OP- you mention "screening for allied health programs." Nursing is not a part of the Allied Health field. Allied health careers are like sonographers, radiation therapists, surgical tech, paramedics, etc.

Seems odd to me, that would be like nursing or medical school not admitting anyone with HTN or who was overweight. Taking care of oneself and taking care of others are really different things.

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Seems odd to me, that would be like nursing or medical school not admitting anyone with HTN or who was overweight. Taking care of oneself and taking care of others are really different things.

Agreed. I found it weird too. Not sure if every dental hygiene school is like that, but the 2 close to me are. I'm guessing they just use it as a way to weed people out. The wait list is longer than the nursing school wait list.

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OP- you mention "screening for allied health programs." Nursing is not a part of the Allied Health field. Allied health careers are like sonographers, radiation therapists, surgical tech, paramedics, etc.

Huh? Many of the community college ADRN programs are grouped as the Allied Health College, or Allied Health Services school.

There are relationships between periodontal disease and whole-body health. Also, many employers stopped offering dental insurance as part of employee benefits over the past decade or so. Small businesses may not even offer their employees any kind of health coverage at all. Result is that adults/parents often went without dental care, and often children did, too, because dental insurance for a family is outside of the affordability range for part of the middle class, and those families are above the income threshold for government programs. So, I am sure that the health care schools have noticed this, and that's why they are starting to make it an added requirement for admission, not just for dental hygiene. Fact is, there are MORE, not less, neglected teeth out there. My last visit to the dentist was just cleaning and two x-rays. It cost me $130 just for that. Those root canal and crown and filling prices are what I have paid out of my own pocket. The last root canal and crown were back in Nov 2005, so it might be even more expensive now. The aggregate cost to me was lower back when I still had dental insurance.

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