Dental Hygiene Certificate Health Sciences Total Units: 97.5

Term Effective: Fall 2009

The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.

Term Inactive: Summer 2010

Previous Versions:

Dental Hygiene - effective Summer 2007
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2006
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 1981

Description:

The Dental Hygiene Certificate of Achievement at Santa Rosa Junior College is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Students receive a comprehensive education in the health sciences and in clinical dental hygiene and are prepared for entry into the practice of dental hygiene. Upon successful completion of the program, the graduate will be able to apply knowledge and scientific concepts to assess needs, recognize problems, establish oral health goals and provide appropriate dental health care services and evaluate outcomes. The graduate will be eligible to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and the California Dental Hygiene Board Examination. For students interested in an Associate Degree, a Dental Hygiene major is available.

The dental hygienist is a licensed professional oral health educator with specialized clinical and educational skills. The dental hygienist works as a co-therapist with the dentist in the prevention, recognition and treatment of dental and oral disease. The practicing dental hygienist may be expose to environmental hazards and infectious diseases including, but not limited to, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV (AIDS). Dental hygienist are obligated to provide patient care with compassion and respect for human dignity and the rights of privacy and confidentiality of patients with infectious diseases.

Nationwide, employment of Dental Hygienists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2008.

Students interested in a suggested order for taking classes in this program, can view the recommended course sequence. Click here for supplemental information about the program, and contact the Health Sciences Department for more information.

Licensure Note: The California Board of Dental Examiners (BDE) may deny licensure for crimes substantially related to the practice of dental hygiene. This includes convictions involving sex crimes, drug crimes (including DUI), and crimes of violence. It is the responsibility of the applicant to present sufficient evidence of rehabilitation to the BDE prior to licensure application.
Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Dental Hygiene program are:

  • Complete 97.5 units from
    • Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Assoc. Requirements
    • Dental Hygiene Core Requirements
    • Dental Hygiene Prerequisites

Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Assoc. Requirements - complete 9.00 units
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
COMM 5Group Discussion & Problem Solving3.00
COMM 66Interpersonal Communication3.00
SPCH 1AIntroduction to Public Speaking3.00
SPCH 60Communication Skills3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
PSYCH 1AGeneral Psychology3.00
PSYCH 4Child and Adolescent Psychology3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
SOC 1Introduction to Sociology3.00
SOC 2Modern Social Problems3.00
SOC 10Marriage & the Family3.00
SOC 30Race & Ethnic Relations3.00
 
Dental Hygiene Core Requirements - complete 59.50 units
DE 50Introduction to the Dental Profession2.00
DE 51Occupational Health & Safety2.00
DE 55AIntroduction to Dental Radiology 12.00
DE 55BDental Radiology 22.00
DH 69Medical Emergencies1.00
DH 70Dental Anatomy and Tooth Morphology2.50
DH 71AClinical Dental Hygiene Care and Theory 15.00
DH 71BClinical Dental Hygiene Care and Theory 25.00
DH 71CClinical Dental Hygiene Care and Theory 32.00
DH 71DClinical Dental Hygiene Care and Theory 47.00
DH 71EClinical Dental Hygiene Care and Theory 57.00
DH 72Oral Health Education2.00
DH 74Head & Neck Anatomy, Histology and Embryology3.00
DH 75Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist2.00
DH 76Dental Materials for the Dental Hygienist2.00
DH 78Local Anesthesia/Nitrous Oxide Conscious Sedation1.00
DH 79Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist2.00
DH 80Oral Pathology for the Dental Hygienist2.00
DH 81Community Dental Health2.00
DH 83Ethics, Jurisprudence & Practice Mgmt for Dental Hygienist2.00
DH 85Advanced Periodontal Dental Hygiene Care2.00
DH 86Integration of Dental Hygiene and Dentistry2.00
 
Dental Hygiene Prerequisites - complete 29.00 units
ANAT 1General Human Anatomy5.00
PHYSIO 1Human Physiology5.00
Complete a combination totaling at least 5.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
CHEM 60Chemistry for the Allied Health Sciences5.00
CHEM 1A AND
General Chemistry5.00
CHEM 8Introductory Organic Chemistry5.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 4.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
ENGL 1AReading & Composition4.00
ENGL 100College Reading and Writing4.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 4.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
HLC 55Medical Microbiology4.00
MICRO 5General Microbiology5.00
MICRO 60Fundamentals of Microbiology4.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
FDNT 10Elementary Nutrition3.00
FDNT 62Nutrition & Diet Therapy3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
ENGL 5Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking3.00
PHIL 3Critical Thinking3.00
PHIL 5Critical Thinking/Writing3.00
SPCH 3AIntroduction to Argumentation3.00
SPCH 9Critical Thinking and Argumentation3.00

Program Requirements Notes:

The following Dental Hygiene prerequisites must be completed within the past five years prior to the fall semester of the application period: ANAT 1, PHYSIO 1, MICRO 5 or MICRO 60 or HLC 55, and CHEM 60 or CHEM 1A and CHEM 8.

All prerequisite courses must be completed before an application can be submitted to the program.

Course Prerequisites and Advisories:

Courses in a program of study may have prerequisites or advisories; that is, courses that must or should be completed before taking that course. Please check for prerequisites or advisories by clicking on the course numbers in the Program Requirements section.

It is important that students who are completing an Associate Degree and desire to transfer to a four-year institution meet with a counselor to plan their lower division coursework. While many majors at SRJC are intended to align with lower division major preparation required by California public universities, specific lower-division major requirements vary among individual campuses. See a counselor, visit the Transfer Center, and check Guides For Transfer in Specific Majors, and ASSIST to review transfer preparation guides for specific schools and majors.

Notes:

All courses taken in conjunction with this program must be completed with a letter grade of C or better.
Contact
Information		 Phone Email Website
(707) 527-4271
srjccertificate003168@santarosa.edu