Dental hygienists are licensed to provide educational, therapeutic, and preventive services to children and adults in a variety of treatment settings. This program is designed to prepare students to provide delegated services consisting of scaling and polishing natural and restored teeth; exposing, processing, and mounting dental radiographs; providing preventive services and planning educational experiences for individuals and groups. The American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation approves the curriculum, which includes both general educational and professional dental hygiene courses. Satisfactorily completing all program requirements qualifies students to apply for the Dental Hygiene National Board Examination and individual State Board Exams for licensure.
Although the dental hygiene courses are sequential and begin only during the fall semester, students may begin and complete the required general education courses during any semester. The professional curriculum runs five consecutive semesters, including one summer session.
This program of study requires special admission as explained below. Contact the Dental Hygiene Department on Dunwoody Campus for additional information and an application. All professional courses are only offered during the day.
Admission to the Dental Hygiene Program
This program requires special admission. The Dental Hygiene sequence of professional courses (DHYG) starts only in the fall semester, and enrollment is limited. Official notification of acceptance to the program is confirmed by the Department of Dental Hygiene. Admission requirements include the following:
- Acceptance to Georgia Perimeter College
- Satisfaction of all Learning Support requirements
- Additional requirements as defined by the Department of Dental Hygiene
Contact the Dental Hygiene office at (770) 274-5130 for additional information
SPECIAL NOTE: The grading scale for all Dental Hygiene courses is:
A 92 - 100
B 82 - 91
C 75 - 81
D 0 - 74
All Dental Hygiene courses must be completed with a grade of 75 or above to continue in the Dental Hygiene curriculum.
Readmission for Dental Hygiene
Only students who leave the Dental Hygiene program for non-academic reasons may be considered for re-admission/re-entry into the program. The student must initiate a request for re-entry by submitting a letter to the Department Chair for Dental Hygiene within one year of his or her exit from the program. Contact the Dental Hygiene Department Chair for additional information.
Dental Hygiene
General Education and Professional Curriculum
| General Education for Dental Hygiene | 37 hours |
| BIOL 1611 & BIOL 1611L (a, b, c) | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 hours |
| BIOL 1612 & BIOL 1612L (a, b) | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 hours |
| BIOL 1913 & BIOL 1913L (d) | Microbiology | 4 hours |
| CHEM 1152 & CHEM 1152L (e) | Survey of Chemistry II | 4 hours |
| COMM 1201* | Public Speaking | 3 hours |
| ENGL 1101* | English Composition I | 3 hours |
| HIST 2111* | United States History I | 3 hours |
| or | ||
| HIST 2112* | United States History II | 3 hours |
| POLS 1101* | American Government | 3 hours |
| PSYC 1101* | Introduction to General Psychology | 3 hours |
| SOCI 1101* | Introduction to Sociology | 3 hours |
|
Elective from Core Area C (Humanities/Fine Arts) (f) |
3 hours | |
NOTES:
* Or Honors version
(a) These biology courses must be completed before acceptance into the program.
(b) These biology courses cannot be used in Area D for any program of study. However, they are required courses in Area F for an AS in Health & Physical Education.
(c) The prerequisites for BIOL 1611 and BIOL 1611L are CHEM 1151 & CHEM 1151L or CHEM 1211, CHEM 1211L, CHEM 1212, and CHEM 1212L, each with a "C" or better; or satisfactory performance on a departmental placement exam, which does not give credit for CHEM 1151.
(d) BIOL 1913 & BIOL 1913L can be used for Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and other Health Science programs. These courses cannot be used in Area D or Area F for any other program of study.
(e) The prerequisites for CHEM 1152 are CHEM 1151 & CHEM 1151L or CHEM 1212 & CHEM 1212L, each with a "C" or better.
(f) Students must choose a humanities, literature, or fine arts course for their Area C elective. Students may NOT use a foreign language course to meet this requirement.
| Professional Curriculum for Dental Hygiene (a) | 40 hours |
Required courses by term:
Fall
| DHYG 1901 | Dental Hygiene I | 3 hours |
| DHYG 1911 | Clinical Dental Hygiene I | 2 hours |
| DHYG 1921K | Dental Tissues | 4 hours |
| DHYG 1923K | Dental Radiology | 2 hours |
Spring
| DHYG 1904 | Process of Care and Medical Emergencies | 1 hours |
| DHYG 1905 | Dental Hygiene II | 2 hours |
| DHYG 1914 | Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist | 2 hours |
| DHYG 1915 | Clinical Dental Hygiene II | 2 hours |
| DHYG 1916 | Oral Pathology | 2 hours |
| DHYG 1929 | Dental Pharmacology & Anesthesiology | 2 hours |
Summer
| DHYG 1906 | Dental Hygiene III | 1 hour |
| DHYG 1917 | Clinical Dental Hygiene III | 1 hours |
| DHYG 1928K | Dental Materials | 2 hour |
Fall
| DHYG 2907 | Dental Hygiene IV | 2 hours |
| DHYG 2909 | Clinical Dental Hygiene IV | 4 hours |
| DHYG 2924 | Public Health I | 2 hours |
Spring
| DHYG 2908 | Dental Hygiene V | 1 hour |
| DHYG 2912 | Clinical Dental Hygiene V | 4 hours |
| DHYG 2925 | Public Health II | 1 hours |
NOTE:
(a) Students are advised that if they are accepted into Dental Hygiene, the required curriculum in several of the semesters does not contain enough hours to meet requirements for financial aid or health insurance. Plan accordingly.
Effective Spring 2011

