SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Diploma in Oral Hygiene

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
117098	Diploma in Oral Hygiene
ORIGINATOR
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Diploma (Min 360)	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Promotive Health and Developmental Services
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	360	Level 5	NQF Level 06	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		EXCO 0417/23	2018-07-01	2018-12-31
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2019-12-31		2024-12-31

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

1. To provide qualifiers with the specific knowledge, skills and competencies that will enable them to register as oral hygienists with the Professional Board for Dental Therapy and Oral Hygiene of the Health professions Council of South Africa

2. To provide South Africa with oral hygienists, able to function within the mission and mode of primary health care

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Applicants who wish to register for the University Diploma in Oral Hygiene 1, must be in possession of a matriculation or matriculation exemption certificate with pass marks in Mathematics and a Science subject. A matriculation Rating (MR) of 8 will be applied to the best two scores for the following subjects: Mathematics, Physical Science, Biology and English.
For a Technikon/University qualified dental assistant who wishes to register, one credit may be added to the MR of which the minimum is 8

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

A newly qualified oral hygienist must:

1. Know how and be able to promote oral health and be competent to apply
supportive methods of health education and communication skills

2. Know how and be competent to determine the prevalence of oral diseases
and abnormalities and apply appropriate preventive strategies on both an
individual and community basis

3 Know how and be competent to examine for and identify all oral and dental
diseases and abnormalities, the management of which falls within their permitted scope of practice

4. Know how to and be competent to recognize and refer clinical problems, the management of which does not all fall within their permitted scope of practice

5. Know how and be competent to plan and implement the oral health services
essential to the total care programme of the individual patient

6. Know how and be competent to function within the structures of public
dentistry and be able to function within the mission and mode of primary health
care systems in the public health services in South Africa

7. Know how and be competent to function within the general or specialist
practice setting and understand the business, logistical and ergonomic principles of practice administration

8 Know and be competent to perform ancillary functions as determined by the
Health Professions Council of South Africa

9. Know the laws and ethical rules controlling the practice of the oral health
professions in South Africa with specific reference to the scope and nature of
oral hygiene as set out by the Dental Therapy and Oral Hygiene professional
Board of the Health professions Council of South Africa

10. Know how to engage in lifelong learning through well develope learning skills

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Integrated assessment.

In order to assess whether the exit-level outcomes have been achieved, a range of formative and summative assessments are done throughout the two years of study. These include simulations, work-place assessments, achievement of certain minimum clinical procedures, portfolios and written and oral tests and examinations. The exit-level outcomes of the first year must be achieved before a student can proceed to the final year of study and training.
In the case of clinical competence, a qualifier is assessed to ensure that s/he has mastered all the relevant procedures and techniques.
In the case of knowledge assessment samples of the qualifier's knowledge is tested for depth and width of knowledge.
A qualifier must have, through the above assessment procedures, proved that s/he has achieved the NQF level 5B standards.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

The Diploma in Oral Hygiene is comparable with the Diploma in Dental Hygiene qualification in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Articulation with qualifications at other institutions :
None

The qualifications toward which the Diploma Oral Hygiene diplomate may proceed are:
1. Advanced Diploma in Community Dentistry
2. Advanced University Diploma in Oral Hygiene in:

Community Dentistry

Periodontology

Orthodontics

Maxillo-facial surgery

Prosthodontics

Oral Pathology
3. Bachelor Dental Therapy

Exit level outcomes articulating with other qualifications:
None

MODERATION OPTIONS

The Faculty maintains a bank of external examiners as approved by Council, with the necessary knowledge, academic qualifications, clinical/practical expertise and national and international standing, from which the external examiners are appointed for each year.
Inspectors appointed by the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa, inspect the exit level outcomes of this qualification on a regular basis to ensure that all the criteria necessary for registration with the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa, are met.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

All academic staff members of the Faculty of Dentistry with the necessary academic qualifications and experience will be used as internal assessors.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

1.	Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University