Dental Hygiene program

Two-year curriculum prepares students to provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic services supporting oral health. Studies include the biological basis of the health of the teeth and oral cavity, as well as procedures used to prevent decay and to maintain dental health. Employment opportunities include working as a licensed dental hygienist in dental offices, public clinics, schools, dental industry, research and community health. The curriculum also allows graduates to complete Bachelor in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion in approved state and private institutions for an additional one year.

Participation of all off campus assigned sites are required for program completion. Students must provide their own transportation to off-campus sites. Some off-campus sites require homeland security screening and verification of legal status.

The program follows a cohort model, with students accepted each fall semester.

The Dental Hygiene program at PCC is approved by the Dental Hygiene Board of California

DHBC

2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1350

Sacramento, CA 95815

(916) 263-1978

https://www.dhbc.ca.gov

DH Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. It has been granted the accreditation status of “Approval without reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation

211 East Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

(312)440-4653

www.ada.org/en/coda 

A Certificate of Achievement is awarded upon completion of all required courses with a grade of C (75% of the coursework) or better.

Upon successful completion of PCC’s Dental Hygiene program and general education requirements, students receive a Certificate of Achievement and an Associate Degree from PCC. This makes them eligible to take the Dental Hygiene National Board examination,  any applicable regional or state board examination(s) to obtain licensure as a Dental Hygienist.

Applicants for Dental Hygiene licensure are required to submit official fingerprints. The law provides for denial of license for crimes or acts which are related to dental hygiene qualifications and/or duties.

Fingerprinting is mandatory with the RDH examination. A social security number or a TIN is required to take the RDH exam.

 

16 students each Fall Semester

GOAL#1:

Develop dental hygienists who will provide dental hygiene services of with the highest standard of care while maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards; who will strive to be responsible professionals and life-long learners and who will support the dental hygiene profession by active participation. 

GOAL#2:

Develop dental hygienists who will be clinically proficient dental hygiene professionals; committed to the patients’ total well-being; who will have the necessary communication, clinical, critical thinking, and management skills to treat patients in their entirety. 

GOAL #3

Develop dental hygienists who will be able to assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities in the diverse communities they serve. 

Student Learning Outcomes

1.     Acquire the theoretical knowledge that will allow students to provide comprehensive dental health care to clients/patients.

2.      Apply the dental hygiene process of care to provide competent dental hygiene care as specified by the Dental Practice Act.

 

Requirements for Admission into the Dental Hygiene program are:

A candidate for the Dental Hygiene Program must have theability to communicate safely, accurately, and effectively in both written andspoken English. To enhance success, students who have English as a secondlanguage are encouraged to enroll in Speech 3, 121 and/or 125, HLSC MedicalTerminology 115.

A grade of C or better is required in all prerequisitecourses. All applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in theprerequisite courses in order to be considered for acceptance into the dentalhygiene program.

All prerequisite courses must be completed prior toapplying. Work in progress is not accepted. Some prerequisite courses includingupper-division courses completed at another institution may require a"Pre-requisite Equivalency Petition". If you have taken courses andyou are unsure if they are transferable or equivalent to prerequisiterequirements it is your responsibility to determine course equivalencyprior to applying to the program.

Enrollment is determined by the applicant pool and theselection process is by lottery. Additionally, acceptance into the program mayalso be based on the outcome of a criminal background check.

Current CPR/Basic Life Support (BLS) card, which must bemaintained while in the program. CPR training can be obtained from the AmericanHeart Association or the American Red Cross, Health Care Provider course.

Memberships to State (CDHA) and National (ADHA) DentalHygiene Organizations at a student level must be maintained throughout theprogram.

Once accepted into the program, students must purchase andmaintain a malpractice insurance.

The PCC Dental Hygiene program does not accept transferstudents from other Dental Hygiene programs

After acceptance into the program, submit a completed healthdata form evidencing good health including required immunizations/chest x-rayor Mantoux test.

 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
ANAT115	Head and Neck Anatomy, Histology and Embryology	3	S1
DH101A	Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene	5	S1
DH101B	Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice	5	S2
DH104A	Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice: Pain Control	2	S3*
DH104B	Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice	7	S4
DH104C	Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice	7	S5
DH105	Pathology	3	S2
DH107	Introduction to Oral Health Research	2	S2
DH108	Pharmacology	2	S4
DH109	Dental Health Education, Communication and Diversity	2	S1
DH111	Current Issues in Dental Hygiene	3	S5
DH113A	Periodontics	2	S4
DH113B	Periodontics	1	S5
DH116	Dental Materials	2.5	S1
DH117	Dental Morphology and Occlusion	2	S1
DH119A	Community Dental Health	2	S1
DH120	Clinical Practice in Alternative Settings	1	S4
DH120	Clinical Practice in Alternative Settings	1	S5
DH122	Medical Evaluation of Dental Hygiene Patients	2	S1
DH141	Oral Radiology	3	S2
DH200A	Directed Studies in Clinical Dental Hygiene	1	S3*
DH200B	Advanced Techniques in Clinical Dental Hygiene	1	S3**
DH201	Dental Hygiene Skills Enhancement Lab	1	S5
DH200C	Clinical Board Preparation (Elective)	1	S6*

* Summer Intersession 1

** Summer Intersession 2

Health Sciences Division, Dental Program

Cerritos College Cypress College WLAC

16 students