Dental Hygiene

  What is Dental Hygiene?

Dental hygiene is an associate of applied science degree program that is designed to prepare you to work as an integral part of a dental team. As licensed professionals, dental hygienists provide a variety of educational and health care services to the public, including cleaning and polishing teeth; applying preventive agents such as fluorides and sealants; exposing and processing X-rays; educating patients in the prevention of oral diseases; instructing patients in home care procedures; providing nutritional counseling; and performing other preventive patient services.

Educational preparation combines laboratory, clinical and classroom instruction. Students have direct patient contact both in the UC Raymond Walters College dental hygiene clinic and in area clinics and hospitals.

Raymond Walters College’s dental hygiene program is structured in accordance with requirements stipulated by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Upon successful completion of the two academic years, graduates are eligible to take national, regional and state written and clinical licensure examinations.*

*When applying for state licensure, the candidate will be required to indicate whether or not he or she has ever been convicted of a felony or other crimes or has a history of mental illness or substance abuse. Positive responses may disqualify him or her as a candidate for licensure.

  Success Factors

Program Goals
The goals of the dental hygiene program are:

• to prepare competent dental hygienists who provide preventive and educational services reflective of current theory and practice and within the scope of the Ohio Dental Practice Act.
• to maintain an adaptable curriculum, readily inclusive of scientific advancement and innovation.

Dental Hygiene Program Competencies

Values
Dental hygiene graduates will be able to identify, analyze and synthesize the ethical, legal and regulatory issues related to the practice of dental hygiene.

Health Promotion/Disease Prevention
Dental hygiene graduates will apply the knowledge of health and wellness to emphasize prevention of oral accidents and oral disease.

Community Role
Dental hygiene graduates will have the knowledge and critical decision-making skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate activities to benefit the overall health and well-being of a diverse population.

Client Care
Dental hygiene graduates will have the knowledge and critical decision-making skills to assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate the clinical, preventive and educational services of the dental hygiene care plan.

Professional Growth
Dental hygiene graduates will assume responsibility to prepare themselves for lifelong enrichment, learning and professional involvement.

  Career Possibilities

A variety of employment opportunities exists for dental hygienists: treating patients in private offices; educating future dental hygiene professionals; administrating and planning in health departments; providing patient care in institutional settings, such as long-term care facilities; and providing oral hygiene instruction and care in public school systems. Job market projections for dental hygienists are excellent.

Blood-Borne Diseases

Department policy regarding the prevention of the transmission of blood-borne diseases has been developed incorporating universal precautions. The infection control policy and procedures have been developed in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB), the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), and the American Dental Association (ADA) recommendations.

  Majoring in Dental Hygiene

Program Mission
It is the mission of the dental hygiene program at Raymond Walters College to provide students with the highest quality education possible. This education will provide the most current knowledge and skills required for practice. The program will prepare students to be in possession of the most professional qualities upon graduation.

Program Philosophy
The Raymond Walters College dental hygiene program is committed to developing dental hygiene professionals who are active members of the dental team and function as effective health care providers in a diverse society.

  Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this program. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.

If you are currently confirmed or enrolled, you can check your degree requirements online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the Course Applicability System (CAS) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here.

Prerequisites:

• High school algebra I and algebra II or plane geometry (one year each, with grades of "C" or better).
• High school biology (one year with lab, with a grade of "B" or better). This requirement should have been completed within six years prior to application to the program.
• High school chemistry (one year with lab, with a grade of "B" or better). This requirement should have been completed within five years prior to application to the program.
• High school grade point average of 2.8 or better on a 4.0 scale.
• ACT composite score of 22 or combined SAT score of 1100.
• An individualized curriculum is available if you have not completed these requirements in high school, or require a less intensive schedule. After successful completion of these courses, you will be considered for admission to the two-year clinical sequence.
• All international applicants must take the ability-to-benefit test to evaluate English language skills.
• Adherence to the college's placement test recommendations is required of all applicants to progress through the dental hygiene program prerequisites and to enter the two-year clinical sequence.
• If math and chemistry requirements are not met, student must score 311 on the math placement test or take Math 132 (Introduction to Algebra I) prior to taking Prep Chemistry or General Chemistry.
• Prior to final acceptance, applicants must observe a dental hygienist in a dental office for eight hours, obtain basic life support certification and have a TB test, hepatitis vaccine, quantitative hepatitis titer, eye exam and dental exam.
• Class size is limited, and admission to the two-year clinical sequence is granted as qualified applications are received. The two-year clinical sequence begins each September. The deadline for high school applicants is January 1. All prerequisites must have been met prior to the application deadline and admission will be offered to applicants competitively chosen from the applications received.

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

English Composition 101, 102, 289 = 9 Credit Hours

Overall total hours: 110
The equivalent of one year of English must be completed prior to graduation.

An additional financial obligation beyond tuition and books required of dental hygiene students includes the purchase of the class instrument kits, optical loupes and uniforms (estimated at $1,800). In addition, licensing exams and fees (estimated at $1,000) must be paid in the second year.

Acceptance Process

There is currently a waiting list for acceptance into the Raymond Walters College dental hygiene program. If a student is interested in pursuing the dental hygiene program at Raymond Walters College, he or she must submit an application with an application fee and official high school and college transcripts (if applicable). The student will be accepted as a pending dental hygiene student if he or she has graduated from high school or has a GED and is not under current suspension from another college.

In order to be granted a waiting list number, a student must first complete all of the prerequisite requirements listed below:

• Algebra I and II or algebra I and geometry with grades of "C" or better. This can be waived based on the in-house placement test results.
• One year or one unit of biology with lab with a grade of "B" or better in high school within the last six years. A grade of "C" or better required if a college-level course is taken to meet that prerequisite requirement.
• One year or one unit of chemistry with lab with a grade of "B" or better in high school within the last five years. A grade of "C" or better is required if a college-level course is taken to meet the prerequisite requirement.
• A cumulative grade point average of 2.8 is required to be granted a waiting list number and must be MAINTAINED to remain on the waiting list. If the student's cumulative grade point average drops below the required level or a grade of "D" is earned in any course which is required in the dental hygiene curriculum, he or she will be dropped from the waiting list and placed on the list of students who are currently in the process of completing the prerequisite requirements. That student will once again need to achieve the 2.8 cumulative grade point average or retake the course in order to be granted a waiting list number for acceptance to the dental hygiene program.

At the end of each quarter, all pending dental hygiene students are reviewed. Pending dental hygiene students whose records indicate that they have met all of the prerequisite requirements will be granted a waiting list number contingent upon maintaining a 2.8 cumulative grade point average. The student's rank on the waiting list is based on the quarter that the prerequisite requirements are met, the number of Raymond Walters College credit hours, and the grade point average. As positions become available in the clinical portion of the dental hygiene program, students from the waiting list (in order of rank) will fill the vacancies.

Upon receiving an acceptance letter into the program, a student may accept the position or have the option of one deferral. A written request/appeal can be submitted to the department chair to take to the Dental Hygiene Admissions Committee for a second deferral due to unique circumstances. If a second deferral is needed and/or the student did not get written request/appeal approval, he/she may go to the bottom of the waiting list. Any basic science and dental hygiene courses will have to be repeated for a grade after a five-year time period.

Sample Alternative Schedule

If a two-year, full-time curriculum does not meet your needs, the dental hygiene program has designated a group of courses in which pending dental hygiene students may enroll with the permission of the instructor/adviser. This will enable you to expand the program to three or four years and usually maintain a part-time status. Students will be registered for dental hygiene courses only when their entrance into the dental hygiene program is in the near future.

The following lists the courses, quarters offered, credit hours and any prerequisites for courses in which pending dental hygiene students may enroll. Pscyhology, Sociology, Effective Public Speaking and the elective may be taken any quarter. Your advisor can suggest an appropriate elective course.

The equivalent of one year of English composition must be completed prior to graduation. Alternative methods of meeting the English requirement are available after consultation with your advisor.

For Oral Anatomy I, II and Introduction to the Practice of Dental Hygiene, a waiting list number of 90 or lower is a prerequisite for pending dental hygiene students.

  Special Programs

The dental hygiene program at Raymond Walters College was established in 1967. This accredited, two-year program leads to an associate of applied science degree. Students are guided in the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for positions of responsibility in the oral health care system through laboratory, clinical and classroom experiences. In 1999, a new state-of-the-art dental hygiene clinic was opened to the public in the college's science and allied health building. The nationally recognized faculty has received graduate degrees in addition to having extensive experience in the field. Historically, nearly 100 percent of our graduates successfully complete licensing examinations and easily acquire employment.

Scholarships, loans, grants and work/study programs are available to Raymond Walters College students. In addition, the dental hygiene program, various professional associations and the dental hygiene alumni society offer several scholarships or awards for both freshman and sophomore students.

  Admission Requirements

Admission to the College
You may enroll in Raymond Walters College (RWC) if you graduated from an accredited high school or preparatory school, or have a GED certificate (minimum composite score of 45). The college's rolling admissions policy allows you to start any quarter: fall, winter, spring or summer.

High school students who are considering RWC should take either the SAT or ACT college entrance examination for use in guidance and counseling. All students entering a degree program must also take the college's placement test prior to registering for classes. This test is given on the RWC campus.

The RWC Admissions Office provides an application for admission and all the information you'll need to enroll in the college.

  Accreditation