DENTAL HYGIENE

 Merit Admissions Opportunity for Dental Hygiene (clinical phase)...The Health Sciences Department is pleased to be able to offer a merit admissions opportunity...more info...

 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Phase I, the Pre-Dental Hygiene Certificate, must be completed with a 2.5 GPA, including “C” or better in natural science and math courses, as one of the criteria for advancement to Phase II, the Dental Hygiene major curriculum.  Students in Phase II must receive a “C” or better on all dental hygiene courses and maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  Students may not repeat a major course more than once, nor may they progress until that course has been passed.

Students may not repeat more than two Phase II courses during their program matriculation.  A student may not be readmitted to the dental hygiene program more than once.  Readmitted students will be expected to revalidate competencies prior to resuming participation in the program at the previous point of validated competencies.

Students are required to pass a comprehensive examination in each clinical dental hygiene course to continue in the program the following semester.  Students must take a competency examination during the second semester of Phase II.  This competency exam tests students’ knowledge in all clinical and scientific subject matter presented during the Pre-Dental Hygiene Certificate and the first year in dental hygiene.  Failure to pass the competency exam prohibits the student from continuing to the third semester.

Primary clinical experience is gained in the on-campus dental clinic at the Airport Campus.  Students may also rotate through local dental clinics, hospitals and nursing homes in the immediate area for practical experience in a variety of situations and age groups.

Students are required to be learning partners for their classmates; e.g., students will be the 1st patients on whom their classmates practice all dental hygiene functions, including infiltration injections.  Students are urged to defer initiating orthodontic care until after the first two semesters.  Students who require antibiotics prior to dental procedures will be expected to comply with such self-medication so as to allow equitable classmate learning experience during preclinicals. 

Students are encouraged to join their student professional organization and to participate in its scheduled activities, including attendance at the annual meeting.  In addition, they are required to participate in scheduled activities such as visits to elementary schools for dental health education presentations and dental screenings.

This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

Completion of the five clinical semesters in Phase II qualifies the student to take the Dental Hygiene National Board and the Southern Regional Testing Agency Dental Hygiene Examination.  Successful completion of both of these examinations is required for licensure as a dental hygienist in South Carolina.


PREDENTAL HYGIENE CERTIFICATE

 

 

 

The PreDental Hygiene Certificate curriculum is Phase I of the two-phase Dental Hygiene Program and consists of the 36 hours of general education courses required for the Dental Hygiene curriculum.  Admissions test scores for the PreDental Hygiene Certificate are exactly the same as those required for the Dental Hygiene Associate Degree Program.  Upon earning satisfactory admissions test scores, students seeking entry into the Midlands Technical College PreDental Hygiene certificate program are granted a pre-entry interview.  A satisfactory result from the interview for the PreDental Hygiene Certificate will place the student in Phase I of the Dental Hygiene Associate Degree program.

A student’s acceptance of a position in the PreDental Hygiene Certificate Program implies that the student will work consistently to complete the 36 hour program within the next 2 or 3 semesters.

Students may not retake any science or math course in the PreDental Hygiene Certificate Program more than once.  Additionally, no more than two science or math courses in the pre DHG Certificate program may be repeated to achieve a satisfactory grade of “C” or above.

PHASE 1

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PREDENTAL HYGIENE CERTIFICATE

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS HERE

COURSE TITLE

LEC

LAB

SHC

FALL

 

 

 

 

MAT 155

Contemporary Math

3

0

3

BIO 210

Anatomy & Physiology

3

3

4

PSY 201

General Psychology

3

0

3

HHH 000

Humanities Elective

3

0

3

ENG 101

English Composition I

3

0

3

CPT 170

Microcomputer Applications

3

0

3

 

TOTAL

18

3

19

SPRING

 

 

 

 

BIO 211

Anatomy & Physiology II

3

3

4

CHM 105

General/Organic/Biochemistry

3

3

4

BIO 115

Basic Microbiology

2

3

3

SOC 101

Introduction to Sociology

3

0

3

ENG 102

English Composition II

3

0

3

 

TOTAL

14

9

17

 

PreDental Hygiene Total

32

12

36

MTC students who complete the PreDental Hygiene curriculum with a 2.5 GPA and “C” or above on all sciences and math courses may make application for the PreDental Hygiene certificate.  (Science and math courses must not be completed more than 3 years prior to completion of the certificate curriculum.)  Upon receiving the certificate, the student is eligible for Phase II of the Dental Hygiene Program.  Phase II of the Dental Hygiene program begins each Fall.  The student’s date of entry into Phase II is based upon the date of acceptance into Phase I and their date of completion of the certificate.  Completion of the 5 clinical semesters in Phase II qualifies the student to take the Dental Hygiene National Board, the passing of which is a prerequisite for taking the S.C. Board of Dentistry Licensure Examination.

 

PHASE II

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DENTAL HYGIENE PROFESSIONAL COURSES

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS HERE

COURSE TITLE

LEC

LAB

SHC

FALL I

 

 

 

 

DHG 151

Dental Hygiene Principles

3

6

5

DHG 125

Tooth Morphology

1

3

2

AHS 113

Head & Neck Anatomy

0

3

1

DHG 239

Dental Assisting for DHG’s

0

6

2

DHG 115

Medical and Dental Emergencies

2

0

2

 

TOTAL

6

18

12

SPRING I

 

LEC

LAB

SHC

DHG 161

Clinical Dental Hygiene I

2

6

4

DHG 121

Dental Radiology

1

6

3

DHG 141

Periodontology

2

0

2

DHG 241

Integrated DHG I

1

0

1

DHG 143

Dental Pharmacology

2

0

2

 

TOTAL

8

12

12

SUMMER

 

LEC

LAB

SHC

DHG 175

Clinical Dental Hygiene II

2

9

5

 

TOTAL

2

9

5

FALL II

 

LEC

LAB

SHC

DHG 255

Clinical Dental Hygiene III

1

12

5

DHG 140

General and Oral Pathology

2

0

2

DHG 243

Nutrition and Dental Health

2

0

2

DHG 230

Public Health Dentistry (May be taken Spring II)*

3

0

3*

 

TOTAL

5

12

9/12*

SPRING II

 

LEC

LAB

SHC

DHG 265

Clinical Dental Hygiene IV

1

12

5

DHG 230

Public Health Dentistry (May be taken Fall II)*

3

0

3*

DHG 231

Dental Health Education

1

0

1

DHG 242

Integrated Dental Hygiene II

0

3

1

 

TOTAL

5

15

10/7*

 

DHG Core Concentrate Total

26

66

48

 

SPRING II POSSIBLE ELECTIVES

 

LEC

LAB

SHC

DHG 272

DHG Externship

1

3

2

AHS 131

Computers in Health Care