Dental hygienic grads say they need Gov. DeWine’s help to earn licensures, save their jobs

DAYTON — There’s a lot of uncertainty for recent graduates in all fields amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but for one group in particular, it’s become a true situation of limbo.

As a group of dental hygienic students from Sinclair Community College explained to News Center 7′s Kayla Courvell, to earn their licenses, they are required to clean a person’s teeth as part of a test. Due to restrictions around the virus, this test was pushed back to April, then pushed again to October.

Without this graduate criteria, students are unable to clean teeth in their positions at dental offices, and can only sterilize tools and help with other basic tasks. Some are worried they will lose these jobs they took as students, since they cannot be sure when they will be able to provide more value to their employers.

“Tell our bosses," Shayla Wagner said, directing frustration at Gov. Mike DeWine. “Every day we come in and they say ‘can you see patients yet?’ ”

She and Makenzie Cooper told Courvell the Ohio State Dental Board proposed an executive order, which would allow them to receive temporary licensing until Oct. 31, but the order has gone unsigned.

The order was sent to the Statehouse two weeks ago.

“152 students are waiting in the wings, chomping in the bit to get in there and start providing for their families, get our economy rolling again. We want to get paid, we want to pay our student loans, we want to help our patients and if this test is the only thing that’s stopping us, it seems crazy,” Cooper said.

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