The Associate in Applied Science major in Dental Hygiene program prepares graduates to become licensed (registered) dental hygienists (RDH). An RDH teaches and delivers clinical and therapy services to patients. The hygienist is a member of the dental team who cleans patient’s teeth and examines their mouth for signs of disease and damage. Dental offices, health departments, hospitals, or military facilities are possible places to work. Students in this program will have criminal background checks and drug screenings. The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval with reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611.

Upon completion of the program and successful completion of a written Dental Hygiene National Board Examination and a clinical Regional Board Examination, a graduate is eligible for licensure as a Registered Dental Hygienist; South Carolina certification in infiltration anesthesia; and South Carolina certification to monitor Nitrous Oxide. The licensed dental hygienist practices in accordance with the requirements of individual state dental practice acts.

Prior to entry, students must complete a required American Heart Association (AHA) BLS CPR course and complete a dental office rotation.

Students must submit a completed student health form to include the following:

• Physical Assessment
• Proof of two MMR vaccinations AND Rubella titer is required or if no proof of MMR is available you must have titers for each (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
• Proof of two Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccinations OR titer required
• Proof of Diphtheria-Tetanus Booster (Last booster must have been received within the past 10 years.)
• Hepatitis B vaccination is required (Declination is allowed for medical and/or religious reasons.)
• Proof of 2 step PPD within 3 months prior to entry of program is required
• Physician’s evaluation
• COVID-19 vaccination.  Please note*, York Technical College does not require the COVID-19 vaccination for students as a condition of enrollment or attendance.  Students intending to enroll in a health-care related program should be aware that York Technical College maintains clinical placement agreements with health care facilities where students are required to complete clinical rotations as part of the requirements for their academic program.  Clinical sites maintain their own policies governing vaccine and booster requirements, including the COVID-19 vaccine, and any exemption processes related to those requirements.  Students choosing to pursue a program that requires a clinical component must follow all vaccine policies and requirements of clinical sites.  Vaccine requirements and the approval of exemptions are at the sole discretion of each clinical site, and clinical sites may implement and modify vaccine requirements at any time as they deem necessary.

Drug Testing and Criminal Background Checks:

Drug testing is designed to protect the York Technical College community of health care consumers, to the extent reasonably possible, from harm due to receipt of services by students who engage in the inappropriate use of narcotics, drugs, alcohol, and other controlled substances. This requirement also allows the Health and Human Services Dental Health Professions programs to be in compliance with the State Dental Board, YTC Dental Clinic Guidelines, community dental offices and other clinical affiliation agreements, as well as the South Carolina Technical College Alcohol and Other Drug Use Policy which may be found on website: https://www.sccsc.edu/uploadedFiles/Resources/PDFs/Essential_and_Disclosure_Information/Alcohol-Drug-Policy-SC-Tech-System.pdf. Students enrolled in programs within the Dental Health Professions Department are required to have a clear criminal record that does not include felony convictions or other criminal convictions that would affect the ability to obtain licensure following completion of a program, including violent crimes.

Admission Criteria - A non-refundable, nontransferable deposit of $100 is also required. Applicants for admission to the Dental Hygiene Program must be a high school graduate or equivalent and must meet the qualification requirements through one of the following methods:

SAT scores - 480 Critical Reading and 540 Math, or SAT (2016) scores: 480 Reading/Writing and 570 Math, or ACT scores 21 English and 23 Math. SAT/ACT scores must be no more than 5 years old at the time a student seeks admission to the Dental Hygiene program.

AND

Completion of one course of high school college-preparatory general chemistry with a minimum grade of “C,” or completion of one college chemistry course with a minimum grade of “C” prior to acceptance into the hygiene program.

OR ALTERNATIVE METHOD - Completion of Dental Office Certificate program with a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Students with reading scores below 88 on the COMPASS placement test, below 95 on Accuplacer, below 263 on Accuplacer Next Gen, below 70 on YTC Placement Test Reading Level 4, or below 46 on the ASSET placement test must successfully complete all required reading coursework.

Students must have a minimum DHG Program GPA of 2.00 in classes taken at York Technical College that can be applied towards the Dental Hygiene program.

OR

Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited College and documentation of minimum reading requirement.