B.S. Dental Hygiene
Program Admissions Requirements
Formal application for admission to the dental hygiene program must be submitted before January 15 of the year the student wishes to enter. Applicants must complete prerequisite courses and complete specific requirements for consideration. Applicants must have a minimum Cumulative Core and Natural Science Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.8. Dental hygiene program information regarding current admission criteria and procedures can be obtained from the Dental Hygiene website at https://isu.edu/dentalhygiene/, or directly from the department. Application materials are submitted through the American Dental Education Association Centralized Dental Hygiene Application Service (http://www.adea.org/dhcas.aspx).
Admission to Idaho State University is a separate procedure and must be completed prior to application to the dental hygiene program. Students must provide verification of current CPR certification and vaccinations prior to beginning the program within the specified application year.
Academic Standards
To enroll in upper division courses with a dental hygiene prefix (DENT), students must be accepted for admission to the dental hygiene program. Each student is responsible for completing the required course work in proper sequential order. To be eligible for graduation and progression in the dental hygiene program, the student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.25. Course work for which the student receives a grade below “C-” (C minus) will not be accepted as fulfilling requirements for the Department of Dental Hygiene. The department chairperson must approve any deviation from these standards.
Prerequisite Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 2233 & 2233L | Principles of Microbiology and Principles of Microbiology Lab | 4 |
| Choose one of the following course sequences: | 8 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab | ||
and | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab | ||
| or | ||
| Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab | ||
and | ||
| Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab | ||
| CHEM 1101 | Introduction to Chemistry (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 3 |
| CHEM 1102 & CHEM 1103 | Essentials of Organic and Biochemistry and Essentials of Organic and Biochemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| COMM 1101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication (Satisfies General Education Objective 2) | 3 |
| DENT 2201 | Principles of Dental Hygiene | 2 |
| ENGL 1101 | Writing and Rhetoric I (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | Writing and Rhetoric II (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 1) | 3 |
| NTD 2239 | Nutrition (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 3 |
| or NTD 3340 | Nutrition for Health Professionals | |
| MATH 1153 | Statistical Reasoning (Satisfies General Education Objective 3) | 3 |
| PSYC 1101 | Introduction to Psychology (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 6) | 3 |
| SOC 1101 | Introduction to Sociology (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 6) | 3 |
| All coursework must be completed with a grade of C- or above. | ||
| Student must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.25 or higher. | ||
| Total Credits | 42 | |
•Elective course DENT 2220 is highly recommended for pre-dental hygiene students without dental office experience.
General Education
The listing below includes program requirements that also fulfill General Education requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Objective 1 - ENGL 1101; ENGL 1102 1 | 6 | |
| Objective 2 - COMM 1101 | 3 | |
| Objective 3 - MATH 1153 1 | 3 | |
| Objective 4 | 6 | |
| Objective 5 - CHEM 1101 | 7 | |
| Objective 6 - PSYC 1101, SOC 1101 | 6 | |
| Students must fulfill Objective 7 or Objective 8 | 3 | |
Objective 7 | ||
Objective 8 - INFO 1101 (Recommended) | ||
| Objective 9 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 37 | |
- Elective course INFO 1101 is highly recommended as an elective for those individuals without computer skills and it may be chosen to satisfy General Education Objective 8.
- 1
“P” courses are equivalent to the original course.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DENT 3307 | Prevention and Management of Medical Emergencies | 3 |
| DENT 3308 | Oral Histology and Embryology | 2 |
| DENT 3309 | General and Oral Pathology | 3 |
| DENT 3311 | Tooth Morphology | 2 |
| DENT 3312 | Head and Neck Anatomy | 3 |
| DENT 3313 | Clinical Dental Hygiene I | 3 |
| DENT 3313C | Clinical Dental Hygiene I Clinic | 3 |
| DENT 3314 | Clinical Dental Hygiene II | 2 |
| DENT 3314C | Clinical Dental Hygiene II Clinic | 3 |
| DENT 3315 | Preventive Dentistry | 2 |
| DENT 3316 | Dental Materials | 2 |
| DENT 3318 | Oral Radiology | 2 |
| DENT 3318L | Oral Radiology Laboratory | 1 |
| DENT 3319 | Preclinical Restorative Procedures | 2 |
| DENT 3320 | Pain Management | 2 |
| DENT 3321 | Periodontology | 2 |
| DENT 4401 | Research Methods | 2 |
| DENT 4402 | Advanced Periodontology | 2 |
| DENT 4403 | Advanced Clinical Theory I | 2 |
| DENT 4403C | Advanced Clinical Practice I Clinic | 4 |
| DENT 4404 | Advanced Clinical Theory II | 2 |
| DENT 4404C | Advanced Clinical Practice II Clinic | 4 |
| DENT 4405 | Dental Hygiene Seminar | 1 |
| DENT 4408 | Ethical and Legal Principles | 2 |
| DENT 4411 | Application of Restorative Therapies | 2 |
| DENT 4411C | Restorative Care I | 1 |
| DENT 4412C | Restorative Care II | 1 |
| DENT 4413 | Community Health and Special Needs Populations | 3 |
| DENT 4414 | Community Outreach Experiences | 2 |
| DENT 4421 | Leadership and Health Policy | 2 |
| DENT 4422 | Educational Strategies | 2 |
| DENT 4424 | Principles of Interprofessional Practice Management | 3 |
| DENT 3322 | Basic and Applied Pharmacology for Dental Hygiene | 2 |
| All coursework must be completed with a grade of C- or above. | ||
| Student must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.25 or higher. | ||
| Total Credits | 74 | |
Dental Hygiene Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DENT 3330C | Interim Clinic | 2 |
| DENT 3340C | Enhanced Strategies in Clinical Care | 1 |
| DENT 4481 | Independent Studies in Dental Hygiene | 1-3 |
Degree Totals
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program Admission Requirements (Required General Education credits removed) | 21 | |
| General Education | 37 | |
| Major Requirements | 74 | |
| Total Credits | 132 | |