Special Admissions Requirements: Program Application Deadline: January 15
Career Programs Building Room 170G, 240-500-2430
Award: Associate of Applied Science degree, A.A.S.
Total Credit Hours: A minimum of 70 credit hours
Dental hygienists are licensed preventive oral health care professionals. They provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic services to patients in dental offices, schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other public health programs. Clinical skills include performing patient assessments; taking health histories; examining head, neck, and oral tissues for disease; checking blood pressures; exposing and processing dental x-ray pictures; applying decay-preventing agents to the teeth; polishing fillings; periodontal debridement; and polishing teeth.
Purpose: For students who wish to complete a dental hygiene program with an associate of applied science degree. The dental hygiene program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skill, and clinical practice to function effectively in all areas of a professional dental hygienist. Graduates of the dental hygiene program are eligible to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) and the American Dental Hygiene Licensing Examination (ADHLEX).
Curriculum: The curriculum is divided into several broad areas of study and consists of lecture, laboratory, and clinical experiences. Emphasis is on the dental hygiene process of care to meet the oral health needs of individuals, family members, and the community. Courses in general education provide students with the scientific and social background to function as effective people, citizens, and oral health care providers
It is the Dental Hygiene program’s philosophy to create lifelong learners. Students who are considering transferring to a four year college should inform their advisors at the earliest opportunity to discuss the options available.
Program Outcomes: Graduates of the Dental Hygiene Program should exhibit the following:
- A commitment to lifelong learning and professional development.
- The knowledge and clinical skills necessary to provide comprehensive care to patients/clients.
- An awareness of their present and future roles and responsibilities within the profession and community he/she serves.
Program Goals:
Professionalism: The dental hygienist must be able to discern ethical issues and problems in dental hygiene practice, utilize critical thinking skills and sound judgment, and communicate with other professionals.
- Ethics. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to discern and manage the ethical issues facing dental hygiene practice in a rapidly changing environment.
- Information Processing. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to acquire and eynthesize information in a critical, scientific, and effective manner.
- Professional Identity. The new dental hygiene graduate must contribute to improving the knowledge, skills, and values of the profession.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations in a variety of settings, including participation in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of community base oral health programs.
- The Individual. The new dental hygiene graduate must provide planned educational services using appropriate interpersonal communication skills and educational strategies to promote optimal health.
- The Community. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse populations in a variety of settings.
Client Care: The dental hygienist must be able to apply the principles from biodemical clinical and behavioral sciences to a diverse population in the diagnosis, risk assessment, planning, and implementation and evaluation components of the dental hygiene process of care to ensure client-center care is delivered.
Demonstrate entry-level comprehensive dental hygiene skills, responsibilities, and knowledge by applying principles of the dental hygiene practice in a collaborative environment.
- Assessment. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to systematically collect, correlate, critically analyze, and record data on the general, oral, and sychosocial health status of a variety of patients using methods consistent with medio-legal-ethical principles..
- Planning. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to formulate a comprehensive dental hygiene care plan that is evidence-based and patient centered.
- Implementation. The new dental hygiene graduate must be able to provide specialized care that includes educational, preventive, and therapeutic services designed to assist the patient in achieving and maintaining oral health goals.
- Evaluation. The new dental hyguiene graduate must be able to critically evaluate the effectiveness of implemented educational, preventive, and therapeutic service and make modification if necessary.
Admission Requirements: Admission to HCC does not guarantee admission to the Dental Hygiene Program. The requirements below must be completed and submitted to the Office of Admissions and Registration by the application deadline:
- Submit a completed program application known as the Supplemental Application for Selective Admissions Programs form.
- Official transcripts (all schools attended)
- A minimum of 17-21 credits completed or in progress should be completed at the time of application to the program. The courses include ENG 101 , BIO 116 , CHM 101 , MAT 109 , an Arts and Humanities elective and PSY 101 . Recommended courses completed prior to application are SOC 101 , and BIO 205 . The courses indlude ENG 101 English Composition, a college-level Math General Education course, PSY 101 General Psychology, CHM 101 Introductory College Chemistry, BIO 116 Human Anatomy and Physiology for Allied Health.PSY 101
- General Education science courses completed within five years with a grade of “C” or higher.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average for all college coursework of a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. In addition, a minimum grade point average of 2.5 for all program courses is required.
- Foreign educated students’ transcripts evaluated by WES (World Education Services) or AACRAO International Education Services (IES)
- Dental Hygiene Program Application
Program Requirements: Students practice selected oral health prevention procedures on each other in the dental clinic and practice and practice oral preventive dental hygiene services oncommunity members. Students practice on patients affiliated with the Hagerstown Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic. All dental hygiene students must receive:
- An average grade of 75% in all dental hygiene courses.
- A competency performance of 85% or higher in dental hygiene clinical skill proficiencies.
Students who receive a mark of unsatisfactory in the clinical laboratory or clinical experience will be referred for remediation. Students who receive a final mark of unsatisfactory in the clinical laboratory or clinical experience, despite a passing theory grade, will not be permitted to progress in the dental hygience program and will receive a final grade of “F” for the course.
Students who violate the college’s Honor Code and Standards of Conduct, the dental hygiene program’s Standard of Conduct, the American Dental Hygiene Association Code of Ethics for Dental Hygienists and the American Dental Association Standard of Care that results in termination from the dental hygiene program are not eligible for readmission.
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