Dental Hygiene
Delivery: A mix of daytime and evening classes
Start: Fall Semester only; Full-Time only
Prerequisite and General Education/MnTC courses are available in a mix of daytime, evening, and online classes; Fall, Spring, and Summer; Full- or Part-Time
Dental Hygiene — Associate in Applied Science Degree (79 credits)
Admission into this program requires a special application and is highly competitive. The college may not be able to accept all applicants that meet the minimum admission standards.
The Dental Hygiene Program provides knowledge and skills necessary to gain licensure and to practice as a dental hygienist. Skills include direct patient care, patient assessment, dental hygiene care planning, scaling, root planing, radiographs, preventive measures, sealants, local anesthetic administration, nitrous oxide sedation, and customized oral health education for individuals and groups. The program prepares you to take written and clinical licensing exams. The Dental Hygiene curriculum requires two consecutive academic years including one summer.
The Dental Hygiene program begins once per year, in the Fall semester. Courses are scheduled Monday – Friday and may begin as early as 8:00 am some days and go as late as 8:00 pm other days.
For more information about our programs, check out our program videos at century.edu/videos.
The Dental Hygiene major is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.
ADA-CODA
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-2678
Applications will be accepted until March 31st for 12 openings starting the following fall. Applicants who have completed all requirements prior to the deadline will be given first consideration. See special application booklet in Admissions, Counseling Center or online for more information.
- Dental Assistant: Current Minnesota Licensed/ Registered Dental Assistant, (L/RDA) with 1040 hours preferred (approximately six months full time work) experience in the past three years and graduate of an accredited Dental Assistant program.
- Science Lab Courses: Completion of the following science lab courses with a grade of C or higher and a cumulative GPA of 2.75 in these courses:
- Introductory Chemistry (Century CHEM 1020 or 1041; Math 0030 is a prerequisite to CHEM 1020)
- Human Anatomy & Physiology (Century BIOL 2031 & 2032 or BIOL 2040 & 2045. BIOL 1020 & CHEM 1020 are prerequisites to BIOL 2031)
- Microbiology (Century BIOL 2035. BIOL 2031 is a prerequisite to BIOL 2035)
- Credit & GPA: Completion of a minimum of 12 college level, Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) semester credits with a MnTC GPA of 2.5. Grade point average will be calculated on all college level MnTC credits completed at the time of application to the Dental Hygiene program. Technical credits, Pass/Fail, CLEP, Career Development, Learning Lab, Study Skills, Physical Education or ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) courses will not be calculated in the GPA or counted in the 12 minimum credits required for admission.
- Students whose MnTC grade point average is less than 2.5 may petition to use only “recent” college level credits to meet the required 2.5 GPA. Students must complete the “recent” credits and submit the petition to the Admissions Office prior to the Dental Hygiene Program application deadline. See counselor for assistance.
- If a student has earned a baccalaureate degree or higher, the minimum 2.5 may be calculated on the final (30) semester credits. The science requirement must also be met.
- Assessment: All Dental Hygiene applicants are required to comply with the Century College policy regarding assessment testing in reading comprehension, writing, and math prior to the application deadline. All required remedial/developmental coursework must be completed by the end of the summer session that precedes the beginning of the Dental Hygiene program, or the student will lose her/her space in the program. It is strongly recommended students complete these courses prior to the application deadline.
- Have a high school diploma or GED.
- Applications will be accepted until March 31st for 12 openings starting the next Fall. Applicants who have completed all requirements prior to the deadline will be given first consideration. See special application booklet in Admissions, Counseling Center or online for more information.
Articulation agreements provide students with educational plans that help them transfer into four-year colleges and universities.
Dental Hygienists
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Dental Hygienists
Average Wage: $36.31/hour
Top Earners: $43.45/hour
(seven county metro area - www.iseek.org)
- Student must earn a grade of C or higher in all required Career/Occupational and MnTC courses.
- Enrolled dental hygiene students must pass a Minnesota Human Services background with no restrictions and pass a health exam before treating patients in the student clinic.
- Students must maintain their credential as a Registered Dental Assistant with the State of Minnesota (i.e.; pay annual fees, maintain CPR certification and continuing education documentation) while they are enrolled in the program. NOTE: the MN Board of Dentistry accepts all DENH program courses for RDA continuing education credit.
A copy of the program’s policy on hazardous materials, bloodborne pathogens, and infectious diseases is available upon request or by visiting http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html
- Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy
- Periodontology
- Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist
- Pain Management
- General and Oral Pathology
- Community Dental Health and Epidemiology