Academics

Dental Hygienist

If you’ve been to the dentist’s office lately, you’ve probably spent some time with a dental hygienist. These health care professionals play an important role in helping people develop good habits in caring for their teeth, gums, and oral health.

After this program, you will work under the supervision of a dentist. You’ll clean people’s teeth, expose x-rays to be interpreted by the dentist, and apply cavity-preventing materials such as fluoride treatments and sealants. You will also teach patients how to care for their teeth!

Because you work directly with patients and as a member of the dental health care team, you should enjoy working with people. You’ll need to have good manual dexterity because your job will require you to use dental instruments within the patient’s mouth. Good communication skills and a sound understanding of biology, chemistry, and math are needed.

You’ll have options of working full time or part time. Some work very flexible hours, often filling in for other hygienists as needed.

Recent graduates of the program earn, on average, $22 per hour.

Notice to patients and potential dental hygiene applicants: Dental clinic students, faculty clinicians and patients are exposed to bloodborne pathogens. These include (but are not limited to) pathogenic microorganisms present in human blood and have the potential to cause disease such as Hepatitis HBV, Herpes, Tuberculosis and HIV. The Bloodborne Pathogen policy is available by contacting the Dental Hygiene Program.

Admission Groups

In the interest of fairness to various groups of applicants seeking admission to our health career programs, we maintain several categories for admission.

For Dental Hygiene, 24 total students can be admitted into the program. This is broken down as: 4 high school – in district; 14 post high school – in district; and 6 post high school – out of district.

Degree

Associate in Applied Science (Career Program)
Total Credit Hours: 76.5

Program Requirements

Select a course number below to see a course description.

Required General Education Courses

Course	Name	Credit Hours
ENGL 110	COMPOSITION I	3
COMM 110	INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION: PRESENTATION AND THEORY	3
PSY 110	INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY	3
BIOL 140	HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY	4
CHEM 115	FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY	4
	HUMANITIES *	3

Required Program Courses

Course	Name	Credit Hours
BIOL 210	MICROBIOLOGY	4
DHYGN 110	DENTAL SCIENCE I	3
DHYGN 111	DENTAL EMBRYOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY	2
DHYGN 113	INFECTION CONTROL FOR THE DENTAL HYGIENIST	0.5
DHYGN 117	DENTAL SPECIALTIES	1
DHYGN 131	INTRODUCTION TO DENTAL HYGIENE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS	2
DHYGN 132	FUNDAMENTALS OF DENTAL HYGIENE	2
DHYGN 133	PRECLINICAL DENTAL HYGIENE	2
DHYGN 135	DENTAL RADIOLOGY	3
DHYGN 137	MEDICAL EMERGENCIES	1
DHYGN 139	SPECIAL POPULATIONS	1
DHYGN 210	COMMUNITY DENTAL HEALTH	3
DHYGN 212	DENTAL MATERIALS	2
DHYGN 222	PREVENTIVE MODALITIES	3
DHYGN 226	LOCAL ANESTHETICS FOR THE DENTAL HYGIENIST	1
DHYGN 228	NEW DIMENSIONS IN DENTAL HYGIENE	2
DHYGN 230	DENTAL HYGIENE CLINIC I	2
DHYGN 231	DENTAL HYGIENE CLINIC II	4
DHYGN 232	DENTAL HYGIENE CLINIC III	5
DHYGN 243	ORAL PATHOLOGY	2
DHYGN 244	PERIODONTOLOGY	2
DHYGN 246	TRANSITIONS FOR THE DENTAL HYGIENIST	2
DHYGN 248	PHARMACOLOGY FOR DENTAL HYGIENISTS	2
FCS 110	BASIC NUTRITION	2
SOC 110	AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY	3

* See attachments for changes in credit hours for courses.
** See specific requirements for Associate in Applied Science degree.

Recommended Course Sequence

Semester	Courses
Summer Semester	BIOL 140; CHEM 115
Fall Semester 1	ENGL 110; BIOL 210; DHYGN 110; DHYGN 113; DHYGN 117; DHYGN 131; DHYGN 132
Spring Semester 1	COMM 110; FCS 110; DHYGN 111; DHYGN 133; DHYGN 135; DHYGN 137; DHYGN 139; DHYGN 243
Summer Semester	DHYGN 212; DHYGN 222; DHYGN 230;
Fall Semester 2	PSY 110; DHYGN 210; DHYGN 226; DHYGN 228; DHYGN 231; DHYGN 244; DHYGN 248
Spring Semester 2	SOC 110; DHYGN 232; DHYGN 246; Humanities

Program Contact Information

Health Careers Department
Peoria Campus, Cedar 105
(309) 690-7530

Illinois Career Cluster

Health Science

Career Pathway:
Therapeutic Services

Career Pathway

Pathway programs at ICC have a map that shows the courses/degree requirements that will lead students to their desired education and employment goals.

Accreditation

The program is approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

National and Regional Clinical Board Results

* passed 3rd attempt
** passed on second attempt
+ retake CRDTS not CDCA

Goals of the Program

1. To provide a career program that prepares the graduate to move into the community as an ethical, professional, and competent dental hygienist.
2. To provide dental hygiene care and education that strives to meet the needs of the community, especially for those individuals who might not have access to preventive dental services.
3. To be able to assess patients of health as well as those with special needs.
4. To be up-to-date and practice safe infection and hazard control procedures for the safety of self, patients, and all others.
5. To offer a curriculum that may meet the lower-division requirements of four-your colleges and universities so that the individual may transfer to other institutions and continue formal education.
6. To provide a foundation for professional growth, scientific advancement, and life-long learning through participating in and assuming leadership roles in professional organizations and continuing education planning.

Essential Skills and Abilities

An applicant must have the ability and skills necessary to provide competent patient care. Skills and abilities typically performed by a dental hygienist include:

• Observation
• Communication
• Motor Ability
• Conceptualization
• Integration and Quantification
• Behavior/Social Acceptability

Technological compensation can be made for some handicaps in certain areas, but an applicant should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable, in that an applicant’s judgment must not require mediation by someone else’s power of observation and selection.

In order to perform these skills, the applicant must have the ability to or possess:

A. Observation

• Normal vision and focusing abilities (corrective lenses, if needed), including transfer vision and peripheral vision.
• Ability to read small letters and numbers on gauges, dials, and instruments.

B. Communication

• Hear to normal range (correction, if needed).
• Communicate effectively and with sensitivity with people of all professional and social levels in writing and verbally.

C. Motor Ability

• Maintain normal balance.
• Perform fine motor hand skills, including bilateral arm, hand, and finger dexterity.
• Sit for extended periods of time.
• Operate dental chair foot controls with varied pressures.
• Normal back, neck, hand, and wrist strength (IE: not prior problems, such as arthritis, carpal-tunnel syndrome, etc.)
• Move about in the limited space of a dental room.

D. Behavior

• The ability to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities necessary for members of the health profession.
• Maintain composure when subjected to high stress levels.
• Respond quickly and in an emotionally-controlled manner in emergency situations