Dental Hygiene (AS) Health Sciences Total Units: 97.5

Term Effective: Summer 2025

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.

Associate Degree Requirements:

The major is one of several requirements students need to fulfill in order to be awarded the Associate Degree, the highest level of academic achievement recognized by Santa Rosa Junior College. Please note that all of the following requirements must be met in order for the degree to be conferred:

For all students admitted for the Fall 2009 term or any term thereafter, a grade of "C" or better, or "P" if the course is taken on a pass/no pass basis, is required for each course applied toward the major.

Previous Versions:

Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2024
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2023
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2022
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2021
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2020
Dental Hygiene - effective Spring 2020
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2019
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2018
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2014
Dental Hygiene - effective Summer 2012
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2010
Dental Hygiene - effective Summer 2010
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2009
Dental Hygiene - effective Summer 2007
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2006
Dental Hygiene - effective Fall 2003

Description:

The Dental Hygiene Associate Degree program 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 receive an Associate Degree from Santa Rosa Junior College, and will be eligible to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and the California Dental Hygiene Board Examination.

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 2030.

Licensure Note: The Dental Hygiene Board Of California (DHBC) 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 DHBC prior to licensure application.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  1. Formulate comprehensive and individualized care plans that are patient centered on current scientific evidence.
  2. Use critical thinking and evidence based problem-solving to evaluate treatment modalities and promote patient health and wellness.
  3. Discern and manage the ethical issues of dental hygiene practice in a rapidly changing health environment.

Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Dental Hygiene program are:

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

Dental Hygiene Prerequisites - complete 32.00 units
ANAT 1General Human Anatomy5.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 4.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
ENGL 1ACollege Composition4.00
EMLS 10College Composition for Multilingual Students4.50
PHYZ 1Human Physiology5.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
MATH 10Nature of Mathematics3.00
MATH 15Elementary Statistics4.00
MATH 101Mathematics for the Associate Degree3.00
PSYC 9Introduction to Behavioral Sciences Statistics3.00
OR any intermediate algebra or higher, or any transfer level math.
Complete a combination totaling at least 5.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
CHEM 60 ORGeneral, Organic and Biological Chemistry5.00
CHEM 3A AND
General Chemistry Part 1: Lecture3.00
CHEM 3AL AND
General Chemistry Part 1: Lab2.00
CHEM 8Introductory Organic Chemistry5.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 4.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
MICR 5General Microbiology5.00
MICR 60Fundamentals of Microbiology4.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
FDNT 10Elementary Nutrition3.00
FDNT 62Nutrition and Diet Therapy3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
COMM 3Introduction to Argumentation3.00
COMM 9Critical Thinking and Argumentation3.00
ENGL 5Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking3.00
PHIL 3Critical Thinking3.00
PHIL 5Critical Thinking/Writing3.00
 
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 1Introduction to Public Speaking3.00
COMM 4Survey of Communication3.00
COMM 5Group Discussion and Problem Solving3.00
COMM 6Interpersonal Communication3.00
COMM 7Intercultural Communication3.00
Complete any combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
PSYC 1AGeneral Psychology3.00
PSYC 4Child and Adolescent Psychology3.00
Complete a combination totaling at least 3.00 units from the following:
CourseDescriptionUnits
SOC 30 ORRace, Ethnicity, and Inequality3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
CHLD 68 ORWorking With Children and Families in a Diverse Society3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
COMM 7 ORIntercultural Communication3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
COUN 7 ORIdentity and Cultural Diversity3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
HIST 21 ORRace, Ethnicity and Gender in American Culture3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
HUM 6 ORHumanities in the United States3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
PSYC 34 ORThe Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination3.00
SOC 1 AND
Introduction to Sociology3.00
THAR 6Multicultural Perspectives in American Theatre3.00
 
Dental Hygiene Core Requirements - complete 56.50 units
DE 51Occupational Health and Safety2.00
DE 55AIntroduction to Dental Radiology2.00
DE 55BDental Radiology1.00
DH 69Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice1.00
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 and 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

Program Requirements Notes:

All Dental Hygiene major prerequisites must be completed prior to entering the Dental Hygiene program.

Advanced Placement (A/P) classes are accepted for English 1A and Math prerequisite coursework only. No other A/P courses accepted.

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:

COMM 7 may be applied to 'Communication' as well as 'Cultural Diversity' requirement

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) 527-4583
lfleckner@santarosa.edu