Dental Hygiene
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Dental Hygiene:
voice: 956.364.4697
voice: 956.364.4690
toll-free: 800.852.8784

Department Chair:
Barbara Bennett
voice: 956.364.4697
Email: Dental Hygiene

Mailing Address:
Dental Hygiene
TSTC Harlingen
1902 North Loop 499
Harlingen, TX 78550

Location:
The Dental Hygiene office is located in the Sen. Eddie Lucio Health Science Technology Building

Office Hours:
M - F: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Faculty & Staff

BarbBarbara Bennett, CDA, RDH, MS Division Director of TSTC’s Health Division

Barbara has been actively involved in dentistry for over thirty years.  She has clinical experience as a certified dental assistant and as a registered dental hygienist.  She is program chair for Texas State Technical College dental hygiene and dental assisting programs, and division director of the health professions cluster. She has been a contributing author for dental hygiene textbooks, and has written articles for various dental hygiene publications.  She has developed an on-line continuing education course on fluorides and histology for Educational Horizons, speaks at the national level at a variety of topics of interest to health care providers.  She is a curriculum consultant for the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association.

Office Number- U-140A  Phone 364-4697 
email: barbara.bennett@harlingen.tstc.edu


faculty and staffDr. Bob Bennett , Instructor of Dental Hygiene/Dental Assisting. 

Dr. Bennett received his Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from Southern Illinois University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.  After serving more than 2 years in the Army with special considerations in Crown and Bridge and Endodontic rotations, Dr. Bennett started his general dentistry practice.  He also began teaching in a community college for both dental assisting and dental hygiene programs in 1991.  After 17 years of private practice, Dr. Bennett sold his practice to his associate and moved to Harlingen in 1998.  At TSTC, Dr. Bennett serves as the Dental Hygiene Clinic’s supervising dentist and also teaches Head and Neck Anatomy, Radiology, and Dental Materials.  He is a member of the Texas Dental Association.

Office Number- U-145  Phone 364-4690 
email: bob.bennett@harlingen.tstc.edu

faculty and staffEva McKinzey Euler, RDH, BA.

Ms. Euler is a native of South Texas.  After graduating from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, she attended and graduated from the University of Texas, Houston-School of Dental Hygiene.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish.  She is active in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, and the Rio Grande Valley Dental Hygienists’ Society.  For the past forty years Ms. Euler has worked in private practice as well as public health settings.  She has been an educator at TSTC since 1999 in the dental hygiene and dental assisting programs.  She serves as a mentor with the Office of Student Success.

Office Number- U-161  Phone 364-4704 
email: eva.euler@harlingen.tstc.edu

GladysGladys C Arjona, RDH, BAAS

Mrs. Arjona is a graduate of Fresno City College in California, where she received an Associate of Science in dental hygiene in 1993. She received a Bachelors of Applied Arts and Science from the University of Texas Brownsville and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Adult Education through Texas A&M University Kingsville.  She is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association as well as its Texas and local components, where she has participated serving as treasurer and providing continuing education workshops.  Gladys also served as a member of the OHSAC, Oral Health Service Advisory Committee, for the state of Texas, providing input on oral health issues affecting the citizens of Texas.  She is currently a dental hygiene clinical instructor with areas of expertise in the care of special needs patients and nutrition for dental health and overall wellness.

Office Number- U-159  Phone 364-4705 
email: gladys.arjona@harlingen.tstc.edu

faculty and staffAngela Villarreal, RDH, DEH and DEA instructor

Mrs. Villarreal graduated from Parkland College’s Dental Hygiene Program  in 1996 with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science.  Following graduation, she was employed as a dental hygienist for a private practice in Springfield, Illinois, for 4 years. She then became employed by a Preventive Company from Arkansas and served as a Professional Sales Representative and Educator for central Illinois and western Indiana for over a year.  In Illinois, she served as the Springfield Area Dental Hygienists’ Society President and Component Representative for the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association.  In addition, she served as the Membership Chair for the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association.  She has been an instructor at Texas State Technical College’s Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene Programs since December of 2000.  In addition, she is finishing up her Bachelor’s Degree in Business at the University of Texas at Brownsville.  In the Rio Grande Valley, she has served as secretary for the local dental hygienists’ society.  Mrs. Villarreal currently holds a dental hygiene license in the state of Illinois and a dental hygiene educator’s license in the state of Texas.

Office Number- U-160 Phone 364-4702 
email: angela.villarreal@harlingen.tstc.edu

Melissa MalibranMelissa Malibran, RDH, Instructor Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting

 After graduation from Texas State Technical College, Ms. Malibran practiced dental hygiene in Laredo and Mercedes. Presently,  Ms. Malibran teaches in both TSTC Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Programs.  For Dental Hygiene, she is a clinical instructor as well as a Preclinic instructor.  For both programs, she teaches Radiology labs, and for Dental Assisting she teaches the Advanced Dental Science class which concentrates on oral pathology and pharmacology.

Office Number- U-158 Phone 364-4871 
email: melissa.malibran@harlingen.tstc.edu

faculty and staffLenora Yanez  Teaching Lab Assistant for Dental Hygiene and Dental Assistant

Mrs. Yanez is the patient coordinator for the dental hygiene clinic at Texas State Technical College. She has worked with the dental hygiene program since September of 1999.  She helps with scheduling appointments for the dental hygiene student in the clinic.  She is working towards here bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology and will receive her associates in social work this year.

Office Number- U-167 Phone 364-4696 
email: Lenora.yanez@harlingen.tstc.edu

DonnaDonna Olivarez, Teaching Lab Assistant for Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene

Ms. Olivarez is a Certified Dental Assistant with the Dental Assistant National Board.  She also has twenty-five years of dental assisting experience in California and Texas.  She is experienced in all phases of General Dentistry.  She previously has taught part-time in the Dental Assistant Department at TSTC.      

Office Number- U-165 Phone 364-4703  
 email: donna.olivarez@harlingen.tstc.edu

Dental Hygiene