Wellness and Health Sciences - 21DH - Dental Hygiene

Dental hygienists are licensed professionals who provide oral health assessment, disease prevention, and health promotion. They are vital members of a dental health team. They serve individuals and families within the community. The Dental Hygiene program at the College of Lake County prepares students to develop the competencies needed to provide preventive oral health care services to the community. The Dental Hygiene program has been granted accreditation status by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Students are required to meet the screening requirements in effect at the time of screening. Students who screen and are accepted into a limited enrollment program will be required to complete requirements and curriculum that are in place at the time of entrance into the program. Students who are not granted admission must rescreen for a future program start.

Screening Deadline: First Wednesday in February

Dental Hygiene is a limited enrollment program accepting 24 students each academic year. Students requesting consideration for the fall semester must submit a completed Screening Form by the first Wednesday in February. A screening process is utilized to determine the most qualified candidates. Preference is given to residents of CLC’s district, or a community college district which does not offer a Dental Hygiene program and is a member of the CAREER consortium. See Joint Agreements section for more information about the CAREERS agreement. Students who live outside of CLC’s district but are eligible for in- district tuition because they are employed by a district employer are NOT considered residents of the district for purposes of selection into the program.

Attending a mandatory Program Information Session is encouraged early in the process.

The following must be submitted to Student Records:

1. Official high school transcript with graduation date OR Official GED test scores OR Official college transcripts with graduation date and degree awarded OR Official foreign high school or college transcript evaluated by a NACES approved agency

2. If using courses from another college to meet prerequisites or degree requirements, submit an official transcript and a "Transfer Credit Evaluation Request " form to Student Records

 Minimum selection criteria:

1. College Reading and Writing Readiness and Basic Algebra Readiness

2. CLC Cumulative GPA is 2.0 or above

3. BIO 123 or BIO 161 or an equivalent (C or better)

4. CHM 120 or CHM 121 or an equivalent course (C or better)

5. BIO 111 (B or better)

6. NLN PAX with minimum acceptable RN percentile rank scores of 30 in the verbal, math and science sections, and a composite percentile of 40 (within 3 years prior to the screening deadline)

7. Must be eighteen (18) years of age by the first day of the summer session following the screening deadline

8. Attendance at a Dental Hygiene Program Information Session (within 2 years of the screening deadline)

9. Dental Setting Observation and Reflection Essay with submission of the Screening Form.

Note: Applicants may take the NLN PAX exam once every 90 days (approximately three months). NLN PAX exam results that are less than 90 days between exams will not be considered. Scores used for screening into the dental hygiene program will be valid for only 3 years prior to a screening deadline. Scores older than 3 years will not be considered for screening. For instructions registering for the NLN test visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/dhy. Students who have completed any of the following courses (or an equivalent) must have obtained a grade of “C” or better. These courses are not prerequisites, but program requirements. They may be taken prior to acceptance into the program.

• course English Composition I - Must be completed before the first fall semester in the program.

• course Microbiology - Must be completed before the first spring semester of the program. If this course is taken during the first fall semester of the program, it must be taken as an evening class.

 Note: A student must earn a minimum grade of “C” in each Dental Hygiene course to continue in and graduate from the program. All course prerequisites must be met. In addition, a valid Social Security Number is required to apply for licensure as a Registered Dental Hygienist in the state of Illinois.