September 2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
September 2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH)


(Please see the Undergraduate Program Offerings by Campus  chart in the catalog or on the Herzing Website at www.herzing.edu/career-programs/downloads for a list of Herzing campuses offering this program.)

Program Description

The goal of the dental hygiene program is to prepare students with the knowledge and skills required to provide direct patient care under the supervision of a licensed dentist. This includes training in scaling and root planing, polishing teeth, application of sealants, patient assessment, pain management, and oral health education. The ultimate goal is to prepare students to gain employment as a dental hygienist.

Program Outcomes

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

  1. Articulate the code of ethics including adherence to regulatory structure within Dental Hygiene.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and convey aspects of culturally competent, inter-professional health care to individuals and groups from diverse populations.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to define and articulate organizational, operational, ethical, legal, and managerial issues impacting the field of dental hygiene.
  4. Investigate the on-going evolution of the dental hygiene profession.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to perform self-assessment for life-long learning and professional growth.
  6. Generate all required documentation for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluating of dental hygiene care.
  7. Develop acceptable individualized patient care plans using ADPIE model.
  8. Select appropriate patient education strategies using a variety of resources, based on individualized oral health needs in a variety of community settings.
  9. Evaluate treatment options using evidence-based decision making to identify risks and develop strategies for positive health and wellness while respecting patient’s values and goals.

Special Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the dental hygiene program is on a selective basis. Students who meet the minimum criteria for admission to the University will be further evaluated on a competitive basis through entrance test scores and prior academic performance as well as other criteria determined by the University. In addition, all students must have all immunizations current.

Potential Occupational Titles

Potential occupational titles for this program include, but are not limited to, dental hygienist.

Program Content

A minimum of 120.00 semester credit hours is required for graduation.

Required Courses in Dental Hygiene


All courses, 69.00 semester credit hours, are required.

Elective Courses in Dental Hygiene


3.00 semester credit hours are required.

Required Courses in Programmatic Support


All courses, 16.00 semester credit hours, are required.

Note:


The following general education prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” (70%) for a student to continue in the dental hygiene program.

* Anatomy and Physiology With Lab

* Microbiology 

* College Algebra and Statistics

* Chemistry

All other general education courses must be passed with a grade of “D” or better to continue in the dental hygiene program.

A student who is dropped from the dental hygiene program for failing to achieve the minimum grade specified in the general education courses but who otherwise meets the academic standards of the University may transfer to another Herzing degree program and/or may reapply to the dental hygiene program in a future cycle.

Required Courses in General Education


Students enrolled in this bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 30.00 semester credit hours in general education distributed among the following disciplines. Refer to the General Education section of the catalog for specific information about courses within each discipline.

12.00 Semester Credit Hours in Communications

6.00 Semester Credit Hours in Humanities

6.00 Semester Credit Hours in Mathematics

6.00 Semester Credit Hours in Science*

6.00 Semester Credit Hours in Social and Behavioral Sciences

*This requirement is being met by the programmatic science course requirements. 

Personal and Professional Development Courses


2.00 semester credit hours are required.