Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (Professional, Entry-Level Program)

Program Director: Charlene Dickinson, Associate Clinical Professor
Location: MCL 911D
Telephone: 940-898-2870
E-mail: dh@twu.edu

Our on-campus program gives students the coursework and practical experience needed to start a career as a professional dental hygienist. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the board exams and complete licensure requirements to become a registered dental hygienist (RDH).

Accreditation Status

The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements.” The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at:

Commission on Dental Accreditation
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312-440-4653

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

• Accurately analyze total patient care assessment data, develop a comprehensive plan of action, apply evidence-based implementation measures, and evaluate patient outcomes utilizing professional values and ethics. 
• Effectively assess, implement, and evaluate the oral health needs of community-based programs to promote and support service activities that are essential to the profession of dental hygiene and the public. 
• Effectively evaluate and analyze scientific literature as a basis for evidence-based practice. 

Admissions

All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.

The program admits once a year and begins in the summer semester. Applications are only accepted between Nov. 1 and Jan. 10.

Requirements

• Completion of the Health Education System Inc. (HESI A2) admission test within 12 months of applying.
  • For admittance, the minimum cumulative score of 75 must be achieved. The HESI exam covers general knowledge needed for our program and will be available from September 17 to January 8. The exam may be taken up to two times. 
• A cumulative college GPA of at least 3.0
• Good academic standing with the college or university last attended
• Completion of required foundational coursework with a C or higher before applying to the program. Foundational coursework consists of:
  • Anatomy I or A&P I (including lab)
  • Physiology I or A&P II (including lab)
  • Microbiology (including lab)
  • Nutrition
  • Statistics
  • English Composition I and II
• Completion of anatomy & physiology, microbiology, and chemistry within the past five years.
• Completion of 57 credit hours of undergraduate coursework before entering the program in the summer semester. Specific required courses are listed in the Degree Requirements and include all the courses listed under the Texas Core Curriculum and Other Requirements sections.
  • To qualify for entrance into the TWU DH Program, documentation of Texas Core Curriculum completion must be submitted, and processed through the TWU Office of Admissions Processing before starting the program first summer session. 
• Knowledge of professional ethics and the dental hygienist’s role in healthcare.
  • This requirement may be met through individual research, study, and/or completing DH 1101.

Students who do not meet these requirements will not be considered for admission into the Professional Entry-Level Program.

How to Apply

• Take the Health Education System, Inc. (HESI A2) Admission Exam within 12 months of applying to the program.
  • The HESI exam is not offered at the TWH Testing Center. Students must register for an in-person proctored examination via the HESI admission test portal. 
• Apply to TWU by Dec. 1 to meet the program application deadline (if not currently attending)
  • Submit all transcripts (except TWU transcripts) to Admissions Processing to be fully accepted into the university.
  • Program applications will not be considered until copies of all transcripts have been received and reviewed by the Office of Admissions Processing, which may take several weeks.
  • Acceptance to TWU does not guarantee admission to the dental hygiene program.
• After acceptance to TWU, complete the online Professional Entry-Level Program Application
  • The program admits once a year and begins in the summer semester.
  • Program applications are only accepted between Nov. 1 and Jan. 10.
  • Applicants enrolled in courses at a college other than TWU during the fall and spring application semesters must submit an official transcript that includes those fall grades and any core courses registered for the spring semester to the Office of Admissions Processing by Jan. 10.
  • To access the program application, students must be fully accepted to the university, have their Pioneer Portal account set up, and be logged in to the TWU Google Drive account. For technical questions, contact the TWU Service Desk.
• A copy of the HESI A2 score report and the following information from college transcripts will be needed to complete the program application:
  • Course names and dates for all foundational prerequisite and Texas core curriculum courses.
  • Names of all colleges and universities previously attended and the dates attended.

About the Selection Process

• A foundational grade point average (FGPA) is computed using an applicant’s grades in the foundational courses. Both the cumulative GPA and the foundational GPA will be considered in making selections, along with the HESI exam score.
  • The foundational GPA will average grades from all attempts within a specified time frame for each foundational course.
• Competitive applicants will be invited for a personal interview with a selection committee.
  • Invitation to an interview does not guarantee a place in the program but serves as part of the selection process.
  • All expenses of the interview are the responsibility of the applicant.
  • Notification of interview invitations will be made by mid-February.
  • Knowledge of the role that professional dental hygienists play in healthcare, specifically oral healthcare, and awareness of the professional code of ethics of dental hygiene are critical during the interview process. Information regarding the professional code of ethics of dental hygiene can be located here: American Dental Hygienists' Code of Ethics.
• All required core and prerequisite courses must be completed before entry into the program in the summer semester.

Note: Selected students join a cohort for the professional-entry program, starting in the summer.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 121   

Major: 63 SCH

Program Code: DENTHYGNENTRY.BS   CIP Code: 51.0602.0

Retention Criteria

Students must meet all of the following requirements in order to continue in the program.

• A minimum grade of C is required for all dental hygiene courses. No credit will be awarded toward the major for a grade of D or F.  
• Students receiving a grade of D or F in a course will be placed on academic probation, must retake the course, earn a grade of C or better, and attain approval from the faculty progression committee to graduate from the Dental Hygiene program.
• Students earning two grades lower than a C, whether in the same or different courses, will be dismissed from the program.
• Students must maintain professional and academic integrity at all times. Students must abide by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners ethics policy and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice, university, college, department, and program codes of ethics/conduct and policies and procedures while in the program. Any act deemed unethical or unprofessional by the Promotion Committee may result in sanctions for the student including academic probation or dismissal from the program.
• Immunizations: Students must submit documentation showing that all required immunizations are current to Student Health Services at TWU. Immunizations must also remain current throughout enrollment. Without immunizations, students will not be able to participate in required externships, clinical rotations, or client interactions on campus. Noncompliance with immunization may result in sanctions including grade deductions or dismissal from the program.  
• Background check: Before beginning the dental hygiene program a criminal background check is required. The background checks are conducted by a third party at the student’s expense. In addition, some externships and clinical rotation sites require additional background checks that students are responsible to complete at their expense. Inability to participate in clinical experiences will hinder or preclude a student from either entering into or continuing in the program.
  • Students who have had a conviction or deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor offense (not a traffic ticket) should contact the dental board to determine whether or not they will be eligible for licensure. Also note that the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners requires naturalization papers, a driver's license, or a passport to apply for dental hygiene licensure. 
• Drug Screening: A drug screening is required before beginning the program. Most externships and all clinical rotation sites also require drug screenings. Drug screening is facilitated through TWU Student Health Services at the student's expense. Any student with a non-negative drug screen result or any student who refuses the test will not be admitted into the dental hygiene program or will be dismissed from the program if enrolled. 

Recommended Plan of Study

First Year
Fall		TCCN	SCHs
ENG 1013	Composition I	ENGL 1301	3
MATH 1703	Elementary Statistics I	MATH 1342	3
ZOOL 2013 & ZOOL 2011	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory	BIOL 2401 & BIOL 2101	4
Wellness or Mathematics CAO Core			2
UNIV 1231	Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar	EDUC 1100, EDUC 1200, EDUC 1300	1
	SCHs		13
Spring		TCCN
PSY 1013	Introduction to General Psychology	PSYC 2301	3
SOCI 1413	Culture, Inequality, and Self		3
ENG 1023	Composition II	ENGL 1302	3
HIST 1013	History of the United States, 1492-1865	HIST 1301	3
BACT 1003 & BACT 1001	Microbiology and Microbiology Laboratory	BIOL 2420 & BIOL 2120	4
	SCHs		16
Second Year
Fall		TCCN
ZOOL 2023 & ZOOL 2021	Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory	BIOL 2402 & BIOL 2102	4
NFS 2323	Introduction to Nutrition	BIOL 1322	3
POLS 2013	U.S. National Government	GOVT 2305	3
HIST 1023	History of the United States, 1865 to the Present	HIST 1302	3
	SCHs		13
Spring		TCCN
CHEM 1013 & CHEM 1011	Introductory Chemistry and Introductory Chemistry Laboratory	CHEM 1305 & CHEM 1106	4
POLS 2023	Texas Government	GOVT 2306	3
Language, Philosophy & Culture Core			3
Creative Arts Core			3
CAO: Women's Studies			3
	SCHs		16
Summer		TCCN
DH 3323	Orofacial Biology		3
DH 3341	Orofacial Biology Lab		1
DH 3312	Professionalism and Ethics		2
	SCHs		6
Third Year
Fall		TCCN
DH 3112	Periodontology I		2
DH 3401	Preclinical Dental Hygiene I Theory		1
DH 3402	Preclinical Dental Hygiene I Practice		2
DH 3413	Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice		3
DH 3433	Oral Radiology		3
DH 3431	Oral Radiology Lab		1
	SCHs		12
Spring		TCCN
DH 3221	Risk Assessment and Preventive Dentistry Lab		1
DH 3222	Risk Assessment and Preventive Dentistry		2
DH 3502	Dental Hygiene II		2
DH 3511	Clinical Dental Hygiene II Theory		1
DH 3512	Clinical Dental Hygiene II Practice		2
DH 3542	Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist		2
DH 4451	Dental Materials		1
DH 4461	Dental Materials Lab		1
	SCHs		12
Summer		TCCN
DH 4443	Dental Hygiene Care for Special Needs		3
DH 4723	General and Oral Pathology		3
	SCHs		6
Fourth Year
Fall		TCCN
DH 4301	Clinical Dental Hygiene III Theory		1
DH 4303	Clinical Dental Hygiene III Practice		3
DH 4313	Community Oral Health		3
DH 4342	Periodontal Disease II		2
DH 4341	Advanced Periodontology Lab		1
DH 4412	Dental Hygiene III		2
DH 4713	Applied Evidence-based Research		3
	SCHs		15
Spring		TCCN
DH 4513	Alternative Dental Hygiene Practice		3
DH 4533	Oral Health Worldview		3
DH 4431	Community Oral Health Practicum		1
DH 4551	Senior Seminar		1
DH 4561	Clinical Dental Hygiene IV Theory		1
DH 4563	Clinical Dental Hygiene IV Practice		3
	SCHs		12
	Total SCHs:		121