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Dental Hygiene
Overview
Official Name of Program
Department(s) Sponsoring Program
Degree Designation
Dental Hygiene Profession
A dental hygienist is a licensed member of the dental healthcare team who provides educational, clinical, and therapeutic services to their patients within the scope of their state Dental Hygiene Practice Act. Patient care provided by a Dental Hygienist includes collection of assessment data and creating a treatment plan, implementation of care, and evaluation of the treatment provided.
Educational Program
In the educational curriculum, the dental hygiene student learns critical thinking skills to develop professional judgement, ethical conduct, and prevention of disease transmission by utilizing infection control guidelines. Students develop communication skills for healthcare professionals, which enable them to engage the patient as a partner in their own oral healthcare. They learn all aspects of documentation and standard chart entries, which are considered the standard in the profession. Students provide care to a broad range of patients with a variety of systemic health conditions on campus at the City Tech patient care clinic. After completion of the educational program, graduates are eligible to take the series of licensing examinations, namely the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination (NDHBE) and the CDCA-WREB-CITA Examination.
Professional Roles
Among the employers of the graduates of this program are private dental practices, public and private health agencies, hospitals, industrial clinics, government agencies, U.S. Armed Services, schools of dentistry and dental hygiene and dental supply companies. Dental hygienists hold an integral role in assisting individuals and groups in attaining and maintaining optimal oral health. They provide educational, clinical and consultative services to people and populations of all ages in diverse settings and capacities. The professional roles of the dental hygienist include the following categories:
Clinician: Dental hygienists in a clinical role assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate, and document treatment for prevention, intervention, and control of oral diseases, while practicing in collaboration with other health professionals. Hygienists are employed in private dental offices, community clinics, hospitals, university dental clinics, prison facilities, nursing homes, and schools.
Public Health: Community health programs are typically funded by government or nonprofit organizations. These positions often offer an opportunity to provide care to those who otherwise would not have access to dental care. Educational requirements vary. As more community health programs emerge, the need for dental hygienists with advanced education and training is necessary. These positions may require a bachelor’s degree.
Researcher: Hygienists are employed as researchers work in colleges and universities, corporations, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Education requirement is a bachelor’s degree; however a graduate or doctoral degree is preferred.
Educator: Dental hygiene educators work in colleges and universities as clinical or classroom instructors and program directors. They can also work as corporate educators. Many dental hygienist educators have Master or PhD degrees.
Administrator: Hygienists employed as administrators work as clinical directors, program directors of dental hygiene educational programs, and research administrators. Educational requirements vary by position; however, most require a graduate or doctoral degree.
Corporate Empoyee: Hygienists are hired as sales representatives, product researchers, corporate educators, and corporate administrators.
Entrepreneur: Dental hygienists can become successful entrepreneurs in a variety of businesses, including consulting and continuing education, product development and sales, practice, and nonprofit organization management. Educational requirement is an entry-level (associate or bachelor) degree.
Learning Outcomes
Develop knowledge and clinical skills to be competent in providing dental hygiene care and to facilitate the desire to continue learning new clinical advances in patient care.
Acquire and use the professional dental hygiene skills needed for communication, inquiry, analysis, and clinical excellence.
Work collaboratively within and across health care disciplines to provide optimal patient care outcomes.
Evolve dental hygiene professional skills to promote humanistic, ethical, and legal standards of care when treating patients from diverse socioeconomic, educational, and cultural backgrounds within the community.
Licensure Information
Dental Hygiene students obtain the practicum hours necessary for dental hygiene licensure at City Tech on campus in the patient care clinic. All patient care is provided under the supervision of licensed dental Hygienists and dentists. To practice dental hygiene, graduates are required to pass a national board examination on the theory of dental hygiene and a clinical board examination on the clinical practice of dental hygiene. Application for licensure must be made to the individual state(s) where the applicant intends to practice.
Graduates of the New York City College of Technology Dental Hygiene program are eligible to take licensing examinations, including the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) and the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX). The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) is the governing body for the NBDHE, working in collaboration with the Department of Testing Services (DTS). ADEX is an independent testing agency that administers the ADEX dental and dental hygiene clinical licensure examinations. Upon satisfying the licensing requirements, graduates may apply for licensure in any of the US jurisdictions listed here: https://adextesting.org.
Accreditation
NYCCT Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission's web address is:https://coda.ada.org.
Additional Costs
There are additional costs associated with the Dental Hygiene program that are not covered by Financial Aid. They include:
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) | $600 |
Clinical Examination (ADEX/CDCA) | $1150 |
NYS Dental Hygiene license– initial application | $128 |
NYS Dental Hygiene Anesthesia certification | $25 |
Professional membership in Student American Dental Hygienists’ Association (SADHA) | $85 per year |
Instruments and supplies | approximately $3000 |
Textbooks | approximately $1000 |
Uniforms | approximately $200 |
Advisement Information
Up-to-date detailed Dental Hygiene advisement information is available on the department website. Prospective new and transfer students should review the program information and FAQ and request program advisement with one of our faculty advisors.
Explore the Dental Hygiene Department on the City Tech website.
Requirements
All new and transfer students must first complete the required six prerequisite courses to be considered for acceptance into the dental hygiene program. During the introductory courses sequence, students will register for courses in general education and science, which are required for the degree in dental hygiene.
Required pre-requisite courses:
course or course or course
MQR – Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (3-4 credits)
course
course
course
course or higher
Students will be considered for acceptance into the clinical program during the Fall semester if they:
Are CUNY proficient in writing and math and proficient at or above the 12th grade level in reading.
Have completed the 21 or 22 required general education credits with at least a C in biology and chemistry and a minimum combined average of 2.5. Grades in repeated courses will be averaged.
Available seats in the clinical program are allocated based on the highest cumulative academic averages in the required 21/22-credit sequence. Seats are offered up to the limit authorized by the college. Students who do not meet the above requirements for progression from the pre-clinical sequence to the clinical program by the end of four semesters are required to transfer out of the dental hygiene curriculum.
Completion of the introductory courses does not guarantee progression into the clinical program. Because of capacity limitations, students who have completed the introductory phase with the minimum 2.5 index or higher will be numerically ranked each semester and seats will be allocated based on the highest cumulative average in the introductory sequence, as space permits. Due to the high number of applicants to the dental hygiene program over the last several years, the average GPA, for acceptance to the program has been approximately 3.4 or higher.
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If both ENG1101 and ENG1121 are available, the higher grade will be accepted for GPA calculation.
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Prerequisites for BIO 2311: BIO 1101 with a minimum grade of C, a college-level general biology course with lab, or a score of 85 or above on the biology Regents exam (with lab). CUNY Proficiency in reading and writing.
Bachelor's degrees and AA and AS degrees require six flexible common core courses: at least one course in each of the five flexible core areas and an additional sixth course in one of them. Students can complete no more than two courses from any one area. AAS degrees may require fewer overall flexible core credits.
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Some courses that are required for the major also meet general education requirements. Choosing to take advantage of double duty can speed up progress toward graduation and increase elective credits. In DegreeWorks, a double duty course displays and fulfills both requirements, but the credits count only once; the elective area will adjust automatically. Specific options for double duty courses are listed here and noted in the degree map below.
Students at New York City College of Technology must complete two courses designated writing intensive (WI) for the associate level, one from general education requirements and one from the major.
Transfer students and those who have earned a prior degree may have part or all of this requirement waived; please consult the Degree Requirements page for additional information.
A minimum grade of C in each course designated with the prefix DEN is required for progression in and graduation from the dental hygiene program.
DEN 1100 may not be repeated in the event of failure or a grade of “D” and the student will be required to choose another major.
Students who withdraw will be considered for readmission on an individual basis only if they withdraw in good standing (passing all courses at time of withdrawal).
No dental hygiene course may be repeated more than once. In addition:
No more than two dental hygiene courses may be repeated during the entire course of study.
A student may not fail more than one course in any one semester.
If a student fails to meet any of these provisions, they will be required to withdraw from the dental hygiene curriculum.
Students must complete all requirements for the AAS degree within five years of the date of their matriculation into the dental hygiene program.
Grading Policy for all DEN courses:
DefinitioN | GRADE |
|---|---|
93-100% | A |
90-92.9% | A- |
87-89.9% | B+ |
83-86.9% | B |
80-82.9% | B |
77-79.9% | C+ |
75-76.9% | C |
60-74.9% | D |
Below 60% | F |
Clinical Policies and Procedures
Once students are admitted to the clinical phase of the program, they must comply with all program policies and procedures.
Attend Classes: All Dental Hygiene classes (lectures/laboratories/clinics) are in-person only. The dental hygiene program runs under a block schedule; students must take the courses in the order in which they are given. The program offers a day and evening options; students are given the opportunity to state a preference during the application process. Due to limited clinic space and faculty to student ratio, students cannot switch between day and evening sections while in the program.
Day Students: Fall and Spring sessions are full-time. Students need to be flexible Monday to Friday between the hours of 7:30 am and 6 pm.
Evening Students: Fall, Spring, and Summer (June or July) sessions as a full-time student. Students need to be flexible Monday to Friday between the hours of 5 pm and 10 pm, as well as Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm.
Vaccinations: Submit documented evidence of a complete physical examination demonstrating good health. The First and Second-Year Student Medical Examination Form is provided by the department. Students are responsible for satisfying NYS immunization and department immunization requirements to be permitted into the clinical portion of the courses to meet CDC guidelines for Health Care Providers. These include:
T-dap
Varicella
MMR
Hepatitis B (if in-progress, documentation must be provided)
Influenza - annually
Tuberculosis baseline screening - blood test (skin test not accepted)
Any missing or incomplete immunizations will void the student from clinical participation and prevent them from entering the program.
Bloodborne Pathogens: As a healthcare provider, you will have the potential for exposure to respiratory and bloodborne pathogens. Dental hygienists encounter saliva and blood while working on patients. Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease. The most common bloodborne pathogens are Hepatitis B, C & HIV. How to manage bloodborne pathogens is taught to dental hygiene students to help protect everyone against occupational transmission of bloodborne disease.
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OR 0409001 - 0380181
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Note: COM 1330 meets NYS Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements. COM 1320 is not a liberal arts and sciences class. Students who choose COM 1320 may need three additional credits to complete a bachelor’s degree.
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or higher Chemistry course