DENTAL HYGIENE
DEGREE: Associate in Applied Science with a major in Dental Hygiene
Dental Hygienists perform a variety of duties including those relating to prevention of oral and dental diseases and direct patient care. Dental Hygienists must be reliable, have good manual dexterity, and be able to communicate and work effectively with patients and other members of the dental office staff. Dental Hygienists are employed primarily in private dental offices, although some employment opportunities are available in public and government facilities. The annual income for Dental Hygienists is approximately $30,000 plus available benefits. As the population grows and as emphasis on prevention of oral diseases continues to be a priority, job prospects for Dental Hygienists are expected to continue to grow.
PREREQUISITES FOR ENTRANCE
Required Courses
High School:
Algebra I, Biology, Chemistry
College:
BIO 210, ENG 101, PSY 201, MAT 165
NOTE: A grade of "C" or better is required for each prerequisite course.
Other Requirements
- High School Diploma or GED
- Departmental Approval
- Prior Experience/Observation - Minimum fifteen hours of observation in a dental office preferably with a RDH, or experience working in a dental office
- Minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.0
- Current CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
- Hepatitis B Immunization, Signed Informed Refusal or Titer
- MMR Immunization or Titer
- Chicken Pox Vaccination or Titer
- Two-step PPD / Chest X-Ray
- Medical Examination - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.
- Dental Examination - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete. Dental health must meet departmental standards.
- Technical Standards - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
- Any course with one of the following prefixes requires a grade of "C" or better: AHS, BIO, CHM, DAT, DHG, ENG, Humanities, MAT, PSY, SOC, SPC
- Any course with one of the following prefixes may not be attempted more than twice: BIO, CHM, DAT, DHG, ENG, MAT, PSY, SOC
- Complete or Maintain CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
- Curriculum Completion Requirement - 36 months
- Dismissal Policy: A student must maintain a 2.0 GPA or better each semester. Failure to comply with this standard will result in the student being placed on academic probation. Two consecutive semesters in which the GPA is less than 2.0 will result in the student being withdrawn from curriculum courses. If a student fails to earn a "C" or better in DHG prefix courses or AHS 113, they are withdrawn from the AAS.DHG curriculum. If a student fails to earn the minimum required grade in the following courses in two attempts by the end of the accompanying listed semester, they are withdrawn from the AAS.DHG curriculum: BIO 211 (1st semester), CHM 105 (2ND semester), BIO 115 (3rd semester), SOC 101 (5th semester), Humanities/Fine Arts Elective (5th semester).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS | |||||||
Courses that must be completed before entering this program |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIO | 210 | Anatomy And Physiology I | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| ENG | 101 | English Composition I | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| MAT | 165 | Statistics | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| PSY | 201 | General Psychology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 3 | 13 | |||||
General Education Courses |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| BIO | 211 | Anatomy And Physiology II | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| SOC | 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| SPC | 205 | Public Speaking | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 3 | 10 | |||||
Required Major Core Courses |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| AHS | 113 | Head And Neck Anatomy | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| BIO | 115 | Basic Microbiology | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 121 | Dental Radiography | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 140 | General & Oral Pathology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 141 | Periodontology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 143 | Dental Pharmacology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 154 | Preclinical Dental Hygiene | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| DHG | 165 | Clinical Dental Hygiene I | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| DHG | 175 | Clinical Dental Hygiene II | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| DHG | 230 | Public Health Dentistry | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 239 | Dental Assisting For DHG's | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 20 | 36 | 32 | |||||
Other Hours Required for Graduation |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| CHM | 105 | General Organic And Biochemistry | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DHG | 115 | Medical & Dental Emergencies | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 125 | Tooth Morphology & Histology | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 231 | Dental Health Education | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DHG | 241 | Integrated Dental Hygiene I | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DHG | 242 | Integrated Dental Hygiene II | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DHG | 243 | Nutrition & Dental Health | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 255 | Clinical Dental Hygiene III | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| DHG | 265 | Clinical Dental Hygiene IV | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| XXX | XXX | Elective: Humanities/Fine Arts | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 13 | 39 | 26 | |||||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: 81 | |||||||
SEMESTER CURRICULUM |
|||||||
To be completed before the final semester of study. |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| BIO | 210 | Anatomy And Physiology I | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| ENG | 101 | English Composition I | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| MAT | 165 | Statistics | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| PSY | 201 | General Psychology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 3 | 13 | |||||
SEMESTER 1 (Fall) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| AHS | 113 | Head And Neck Anatomy | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| BIO | 211 | Anatomy And Physiology II | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DHG | 125 | Tooth Morphology & Histology | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 154 | Preclinical Dental Hygiene | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| SPC | 205 | Public Speaking | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 15 | 14 | |||||
SEMESTER 2 (Spring) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| CHM | 105 | General Organic And Biochemistry | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DHG | 115 | Medical & Dental Emergencies | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 121 | Dental Radiography | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 165 | Clinical Dental Hygiene I | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 9 | 15 | 14 | |||||
SEMESTER 3 (Summer) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| BIO | 115 | Basic Microbiology | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 141 | Periodontology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 143 | Dental Pharmacology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 175 | Clinical Dental Hygiene II | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| DHG | 241 | Integrated Dental Hygiene I | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 8 | 15 | 13 | |||||
SEMESTER 4 (Fall) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DHG | 140 | General & Oral Pathology | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 231 | Dental Health Education | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DHG | 239 | Dental Assisting For DHG's | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 243 | Nutrition & Dental Health | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DHG | 255 | Clinical Dental Hygiene III | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 18 | 12 | |||||
SEMESTER 5 (Spring) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DHG | 230 | Public Health Dentistry | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| DHG | 242 | Integrated Dental Hygiene II | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DHG | 265 | Clinical Dental Hygiene IV | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| SOC | 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| XXX | XXX | Elective: Humanities/Fine Arts | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 10 | 15 | 15 | |||||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: 81 | |||||||
PROGRAM AND EMPLOYMENT TIDBITS
Contact Person: Susan Cochran
Waiting List: No
Local Starting Salary: $17.00
Local Average Salary: $23.00
National Starting Salary: $23.00
National Average Salary: $30.00