Parkland College

Dental Hygiene

Health Career Admissions
Program Code: GDHG AAS

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Minimum graduation requirement — 78 semester hours

The Dental Hygiene Program prepares students to become part of the dental health team. The dental hygienist is responsible for providing such services as scaling and polishing teeth, taking radiographs, applying fluoride and surface sealants to the teeth, and local anesthesia and conscious sedation. The dental hygienist is the primary oral health educator in clinical and nonclinical settings. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation, American Dental Association (a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation), and by the United States Department of Education.

Program Notes*
• This is a selective admissions program — you must be admitted into the program before taking DHG courses. See a counselor/advisor or the health professions recruiter to advise you through the application process.
• BIO 121 requires high school chemistry within the past
three years, college chemistry, or passing score on chemistry competency test. Students transferring anatomy and physiology from another institution must have successfully completed high school or college chemistry. If you have not completed chemistry prior to admission into the program, you will need to take CHE 100. CHE 100 requires recent high school algebra or MAT 095.
• Assessment into ENG 101 and college-level reading (83 or above on COMPASS) is required for admission to the program.
• Students are required to keep current CPR certification, a 2.0 minimum GPA, and a grade of C or higher in all DHG and BIO courses. 
• ALR 131 and ALR 145 are optional courses for Board review.

Suggested Full-time Sequence
 

SUMMER
BIO 121

FALL 1st Semester
DHG 110
DHG 111
DHG 112
DHG 113
DHG 114
BIO 122

SPRING 2nd Semester
DHG 115
DHG 116
DHG 117
DHG 118
DHG 119
BIO 123
SPE 101

 

SUMMER
DHG 211
DHG 212
DHG 215
DHG 216

FALL 3rd Semester
DHG 210
DHG 217
DHG 218
DHG 230
DHG 233
ENG 101

SPRING 4th Semester
DHG 219
DHG 234
DHG 235
DHG 236
ENG 102
SOC 101
PSY 101

 

Requirements

Credit Hours

Required Program Courses (50 hours)

DHG 110 Applied Head and Neck Anatomy

2

DHG 111 Oral and Dental Anatomy

2

DHG 112 Dental Histology and Embryology

2

DHG 113 Introduction to Prevention

1

DHG 114 Pre-Clinic

5

DHG 115 Seminar I

1

DHG 116 Clinic I

2

DHG 117 Dental Radiology

3

DHG 118 Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist

2

DHG 119 Alterations of Oral Structures

2

DHG 210 Periodontology

2

DHG 211 Pain Management for the Dental Patient

1.5

DHG 212 Dental Materials

3

DHG 215 Clinic II

2

DHG 216 Seminar II

1

DHG 217 Seminar III

2

DHG 218 Clinic III

4

DHG 219 Clinic IV

4

DHG 230 Community Dental Health

3

DHG 233 Dietary Analysis and Preventive Counseling

2

DHG 234 Dental Specialties

0.5

DHG 235 Seminar IV

1

DHG 236 Ethics, Jurisprudence, and Licensure

2
 

Other Required Courses (12 hours)

BIO 121 Anatomy and Physiology I

4

BIO 122 Anatomy and Physiology II

4

BIO 123 Microbiology

4
 

Required General Education Core Courses (16 hours)

ENG 101 Composition I

3

ENG 102 Composition II

3

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology

4

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology

3

SPE 101 Introductory Speech Communication

         3

Total Semester Credit Hours

78
 

Optional Courses (offered spring semester)

DHG 640 Disaster Preparedness and Forensics for the Dental Professional

2

DHG 641 Basic Dental Assisting for the Dental Hygienist

2

ALR 131* Word Attack and Basic Comprehension I

1

ALR 145* Critical Thinking I

1

Parkland College • 2400 West Bradley Ave. • Champaign, IL 61821 • 217.351.2200 • 800.346.8089

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