Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene

 Registered Dental Hygienists are licensed dental health professionals who promote oral health and disease prevention by providing preventive dental care and oral care assessments. Dental Hygienists are members of the allied healthcare team and work in collaboration with other health care providers in educational, clinical, and therapeutic services. The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree strives to prepare professional dental hygienists with the educational opportunity to attain positions in a variety of healthcare settings and/or for graduate study in dental hygiene. Upon completion of the program, graduating students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and will qualify to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a Clinical Board Examination. Successfully passing of the examination qualifies the graduate to apply for dental hygiene licensure in the State of California and the California Law and Ethics Examination. 

The Cypress College Dental Hygiene Program traditionally accepts twenty students each fall semester as the approved enrollment capacity from the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The campus educational facility provides both didactic and clinical instruction for the Dental Hygiene Program and includes a twenty chair on site dental clinic and a twenty-four workstation classroom.

The Dental Hygiene Program has requested with the future renovation of the Health Science building, a twenty-four chair dental clinic, a twenty-four chair simulation lab, and a twenty-four workstation classroom in hopes to increase the enrollment in the future to twenty-four students. This enrollment increase will help meet the demand for dental hygienist with a baccalaureate degree in the workforce.

Based on the timeline for the application of approvals for the baccalaureate degree program applications, degree and curriculum development, Reporting Substantive Change to Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Request to Commission on Dental Accreditation, and the Dental Hygiene Board of California, the college anticipates accepting our first cohort of twenty dental hygiene baccalaureate degree students in fall of 2025. 

The enrollment completer projects for students in the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Program includes a Liberal Arts Associate in Arts Degree with and Area of Emphasis in Math and Science, four certificates: 1) Radiology Safety, 2) Dental Hygiene Pit and Fissure Sealant, 3) Ultrasonic Scaling and Coronal Polishing, 4) Administration of Local Anesthesia, Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia and Periodontal Soft Tissue Curettage, and a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. 

Year 1 - no degree/certificate

Year 2 -  Liberal Arts Associate in Arts Degree with and Area of Emphasis in Math and Science

Year 3 - three certificates: 1) Radiology Safety, 2) Dental Hygiene Pit and Fissure Sealant, 3) Ultrasonic Scaling and Coronal Polishing

Year 4 - one certificate: Administration of Local Anesthesia, Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia and Periodontal Soft Tissue Curettage

Year 4 - Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene

The philosophy of the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Program is to reflect the mission of Cypress College in transforming students’ lives through lifeline learning with the educational opportunities to attain a baccalaureate degree.

Program Goals:

1. To acquire competence in the knowledge, skills, and values of the dental hygiene patient experiences as it relates to assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, and documentation.
2. To promote and prevent gingival, periodontal, and systemic diseases through therapeutic and educational services aimed to maintain optimal oral health of dental hygiene patients.
3. To serve a culturally diverse population with medical, physical, psychological, developmental, intellectual, and/or social conditions by making necessary modifications to the dental hygiene process of care. 
4. To understand the roles of the members of the healthcare team through interprofessional educational experiences utilizing effective communication and collaboration. 
5. To promote the highest standard of dental hygiene care by instilling ethical reasoning, ethical decision making and professional responsibility consistent with the Dental Hygiene Code of Ethics, Dental Hygiene Board of California, and Business and Professions Code.
6. To serve the community by demonstrating, assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating community-based oral health programs for disease prevention and health promotion.
7. To enhance the knowledge of problem-solving strategies related to comprehensive patient care, apply science-based literature, and self-assessment skills for life-long learning.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

1. The student will be able to appreciate the cultural differences of diverse populations to demonstrate patient management techniques with cultural competence throughout the educational and clinical learning experiences. 
2. The student will be able to apply problem solving strategies to the dental hygiene patient experiences to successfully treat and provide safe dental hygiene process of care to all patient types including child, adolescent, adult, geriatric patient, patients with special needs and patients who exhibit mild to moderate and moderate to severe periodontal disease.
3. The student will be able to appreciate the cultural differences of diverse populations to demonstrate patient management techniques with cultural competence throughout the educational and clinical learning experiences. 
4. The student will be able to utilize problem solving strategies related to comprehensive patient care, practice management, management of medical/dental emergencies, and adherence to infection and hazard controls management to safely treat all patients including those with bloodborne infectious diseases.
5. The student will be able to serve the community through disease prevention and education to promote enhanced oral and total health.
6. The student will be competent in the ability to establish a professional relationship among allied healthcare team members, practicing interprofessional collaboration and communication while participating in outreach and ­serving the community.
7. The student will be able to apply ethical principles within the academic environment and to clinical decision making in a professional manner by applying the Dental Hygiene Core Values and Code of Ethics. 
8. The student will gain knowledge and skills to provide the highest standard of patient care in accordance with the laws set forth by OSHA, HIPAA, and Dental Hygiene Board of California, Business and Professions Code.
9. The student will be able to evaluate scientific research and demonstrate critical thinking and decision-making skills to provide evidence-based and comprehensive dental hygiene patient care. 

The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree is a two part program; two years of required prerequisite coursework and general education CSU GE or IGETC STEM requirements and then following acceptance into the program and successful completion of DH 100 C, two years of upper division dental hygiene major and upper division general education coursework. 

The acceptance of college work previously completed is at the discretion of the Cypress College Selection Committee and the Dental Hygiene Program Director(s).

 To earn the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, students must complete: (1) all IGETC STEM or CSU GE Breadth lower division general education coursework or previously awarded baccalaureate degree from a CSU or UC (2) Social Justice, Equity, and Sustainability requirement, (3) all upper division dental hygiene major course requirements with a minimum grade of “C”; (4) a minimum of 9 units of Upper Division General Education for graduation requirements; Total degree units are 129.5. 

Degree Completion students must complete: (1) Prerequisites 40 units in Dental Hygiene courses from California Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene Program that is regionally and Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited institution, (2) Upper Division GE 9 units, (3) Upper Division major 15 units, DH 310 C, DH 315 C, DH 420 C, DH 425 C, DH 430 C, DH 435 C, DH 436 C, DH 438 C, DH 439 C (4) Credit for Prior Learning awarded to California Licensed Registered Dental Hygienist, 16 units DH 303 C, DH 304 C, DH 307 C, DH 313 C, DH 318 C, DH 421 C, DH 423 C, DH 431 C. 

A valid CPR certification in Health Providers Basic Life Support (BLS) and AED is required prior to enrolling in the Dental Hygiene Program and must be kept current.

Once enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Program, the dental hygiene major and upper division general education coursework is planned sequentially and students are required to maintain a grade of "C" or higher in each course to progress in the program. Courses are designed to prepare the students' to successfully completion of the program requirements and transform students' lives through lifelong learning with the educational opportunity to attain a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. 

Health Occupations/Dental Hygiene

Currently, three private universities, Loma Linda University, West Coast University, and University of the Pacific offer a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene at high costs. West Los Angeles and Foothill Colleges offer affordable Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and Cerritos College has preliminary approval.

20 students