Dental Hygiene

Maintaining Healthy Smiles

Our Dental Hygiene program will teach you how to play a critical role as part of a dental health care team that educates and treats patients. You will provide preventative care and treatment, which may include medical and dental history review, head and neck examination, exposure of dental radiographs (x- rays), dental prophylaxis (teeth cleaning), fluoride, sealants and polishing of restorations. This is the only accredited Dental Hygiene program in Philadelphia, through which you will use state-of-the-art equipment; have access to faculty who are experts in the dental hygiene profession; benefit from supervised, hands-on experience with patients; and receive excellent preparation for taking the required exams for licensing and certification.

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

Apply to the Dental Hygiene Program

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Careers

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Dental Hygienist - est. salary $85,273*

**EMSI Data, 2022; The greater Philadelphia area; a percentage of people in these jobs may have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Transfer Opportunities

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Courses and Completion Sequence

The following courses and sequence of courses is designed for the optimal success and completion of the Dental Hygiene degree/certificate. Any alterations should be discussed with your academic advisor.

Summer I

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
ENGL 101 - English Composition I or
ENGL 101H - English Composition I (Honors)
3 credits Writing, Research, Info Lit 1
Prerequisite for DH 115, 135, 150 and 191
Must earn a grade of "C" or better to register for ENGL 102
ENGL 101
CIS 103 - Introduction to Information Technology 3 credits Technological Competency
Prerequisite for DH 115, 135, 150 and 191
Technology Competency

Semester 1

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
DH 115 - Oral, Head and Neck Anatomy 3 credits ENGL 101 and CIS 103 are prerequisites Major Course
DH 135 - Dental Radiology 3 credits ENGL 101 and CIS 103 are prerequisites Major Course
DH 150 - Dental Auxiliary Practices 4 credits ENGL 101 and CIS 103 are prerequisites Major Course
DH 191 - Clinical Dental Hygiene I 3 credits ENGL 101 and CIS 103 are prerequisites Major Course
BIOL 109-110 Anatomy and Physiology I & II 4 credits Scientific Reasoning
Visit the Science, Technology, & Allied Health Lab in the Library Lower Level, Room L1-LL for support Prerequisite for BIOL 110
Natural Science

All courses are critical course as it is a prerequisite for other DH courses. Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses.

  • This program is designed to provide students with the option of entering the workforce or transferring to a bachelor's degree program after earning their associate degree
  • Make sure you discuss your first semester schedule and your educational plan with an advisor or counselor when you register

Semester 2

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
ENGL 102 - The Research Paper or
ENGL 102H - The Research Paper (Honors)
3 credits Writing, Research, Info Lit 2
Visit the Central Learning Lab, Bonnell Building, Room B1-28, for support
ENGL 102 Information Literacy
BIOL 110 - Anat & Phys II 4 credits Prerequisite: BIOL 109 Visit the Science, Technology, & Allied Health Lab in the Library Lower Level, Room L1-LL for support Major Course
DH 121 - Oral Histology and Embryology 2 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 109. DH 115, DH 135, DH 150 and DH 191all with a grade of "C" or better Major Course
DH 165 - Nutrition and Biochemistry in Dentistry 4 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 109. DH 115, DH 135, DH 150 and DH 191 Major Course
DH 192 - Clinical Dental Hygiene II 3 credits

Prerequisites: BIOL 109, ENGL 102, DH 115, DH 135, DH 150, DH 191 all with a grade "C" or better;
Coreq = ENGL 102 w. a grade of "C" or better which may be taken concurrently

Major Course

Summer 1

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or
PSYC 101H - 101H Introduction to Psychology (Honors)
3 credits Most transfer institutions require a psychology course.
Required for accreditation
Cultural Analysis & Interpretation
DH 210: Local Anesthesia 3 credits Prerequisites: DH 121, DH 165, DH 192 and BIOL 110 with grade of "C" or better. Major Course

Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses

Summer 2

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology or
SOC 101H - Introduction to Sociology (Honors) 
3 credits Most transfer institutions require a sociology course. Meet with an academic advisor to ensure SOC 101 is the preferred elective to best meets program and/or transfer requirements  
BIOL 241 - Principles of Microbiology 4 credits Prerequisite for DH 241, DH 245, DH 247, DH 293, DH 271 and DH 294 Prerequisites: BIOL 106 or BIOL 108; BIOL 109 or BIOL 123 Major Course

Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses.

Semester 3

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
DH 241 - Oral Pathology 2 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 110, BIOL 241, DH 121, DH 165, DH 192, ENGL 102 all with a grade of "C" or better Major Course
DH 245 - Dental Pharmacology and Pain Management 2 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 110, BIOL 241, DH 121, DH 165, DH 192, ENGL 102 all with a grade of "C" or better Major Course
DH 247 - Periodontics 4 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 110, BIOL 241, DH 121, DH 165, DH 192, ENGL 102 all with a grade of "C" or better Major Course
DH 293 - Clinical Dental Hygiene III 6 credits Prerequisites: BIOL 110, BIOL 241, DH 121, DH 165, DH 192, ENGL 102 all with a grade of "C" or better Major Course

Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses.

Semester 4

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
DH 271 - Community Dentistry 3 credits

Prerequisites: BIOL 241, DH 241, DH 245, DH 247, DH 293 all with a grade of "C" or better
ENGL 115 which may be taken concurrently

Major Course
DH 294 - Clinical Dental Hygiene IV 6 credits

Prerequisites: BIOL 241, DH 241, DH 245, DH 247, DH 293 all with a grade of "C" or better
ENGL 115 which may be taken concurrently

Major Course
FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra or higher 3 credits   Quantitative Reasoning
ENGL 115 - Public Speaking 3 credits ENGL 101 may be taken concurrently Required by accreditation Oral Communication/Creative Expression

Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses

  • If this is your final semester! Don’t forget to complete your graduation application.
  • Meet with an advisor when registering for your classes
  • Take advantage of our scholarship opportunities for transferring students and apply for a scholarship

Summer 1

Course Number and Name Credits Advisory Notes Course Type
DH 295 - Clinical Dental Hygiene V 2 credits  Prerequisites: DH 271, DH 294, ENGL 115 all with a grade of "C" or better   Major Course

Must earn a grade of "C" or better in all courses.

General Education Requirements:

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College's general education requirements is also available.

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