Karla Sylwester began teaching at Clark in January of 1971 as an adjunct clinical instructor.  In 1976 she returned to private dental practice.  She continued to be an occasional adjunct at Clark until being hired as a full time instructor September 1989.

Karla is the lead restorative instructor in the dental hygiene dept.  She coordinates the restorative clinics as well as liaisons with the dental community to staff those clinics.  She also teaches all the didactic courses that support the restorative phase of the program:  Cariology, Dental Materials and Restorative, as well as others.  Karla has had over 20 years as a private practice dental hygienist and is well versed in all phases of hygiene practice as well as restorative dentistry, tooth bleaching and preventive fluorides and sealants. 

Karla, in conjunction with the other dental hygiene faculty, has taught workshops and seminars on teaching critical thinking, teaching to competency and evaluating outcomes to national dental audiences.  As a dental community resource person, she has also taught continuing education courses on bleaching teeth, placing sealants, and through Clark’s B&I, she teaches the restorative classes to out-of-state hygienists seeking licensure in Washington.

Karla has lived and worked in Clark County her whole life, graduating from Fort Vancouver High School and attending Clark before she graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School (OHSU) as a dental hygienist in 1966.  She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Portland State University in 1988. 

Phone:  360-992-2435
E-mail: ksylwesterk@clark.edu