Program Details
Average starting salary is $76,220 *median*
*Salary information provided by Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Program Overview
The role of the dental hygienist is a challenging and demanding one requiring developed critical thinking skills. While the primary focus of the dental hygienist is maintenance of oral health, the hygienist may also participate in supportive and expanded functions as delegated by the State Dental Practice Act. Preventive and maintenance services include scaling and polishing, sealants, X-rays, fluoride treatment, patient education and specialized therapies of root planing and curettage.
The Associate in Science degree program in Dental Hygiene offers two opportunities to complete the program. The Dental Hygiene Traditional program is a two-year program with class and clinic commitments of 35-40 hours per week with some evening clinics and classes. The Dental Hygiene Bridge program is a 15-month program with class and clinic commitments of 35-40 hours per week with some clinics and classes in the evening. The Bridge program is designed for graduates of American Dental Association accredited dental assisting programs who have a minimum of one year full-time, chair side dental assisting work experience after graduation from the program and who are currently certified by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). Each Bridge student must demonstrate competency in all dental assisting skills.
The Dental Hygiene program is designed to educate the dental hygiene student to work in private practice, research, institutional, or public health settings. Course work includes knowledge of the dental health care system, anatomic, biological and applied sciences and dental public health. The program offers clinical experiences in settings such as the, the University of Florida College of Dentistry and the ACORN Clinic in addition to the Santa Fe Dental Clinic. Graduates of the Traditional and Bridge Dental Hygiene program earn an A.S. degree. Traditional Program graduates also earn a Florida Expanded Functions Certificate, and are eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination. Upon completion of the Traditional or Bridge Dental Hygiene program students are eligible to sit for Dental Hygiene National Boards and state licensure examinations.
Applicants should contact the Health Sciences Counseling office in Building W, room 2, or call 352-395-5650. Approximate enrollment and expense information are included in the materials available from the counseling office.
Accreditation:
The Dental Hygiene Bridge Program at SF is accredited by the American Dental Association.
Licensure information:
Successful completion of all degree requirements may make you eligible to take the Florida state licensure exam for dental hygiene. If you are a student who resides outside of Florida, Santa Fe College has not made a determination that its degree program or curriculum meets educational requirements for professional licensure in your state. The American Dental Hygiene Association provides a ‘State Licensure by Credential /Endorsement Chart’ . where you may reference licensure endorsements requirements per state. Additionally, please locate and contact the dental board for your state. in order to determine whether this degree program will meet their licensure requirements.
Requirements for Admission
Note to applicants: Applicants who have already completed a Dental Assisting vocational program (within the last 5 years), possess DANB certification and 1-year chair-side experience, should apply to the Dental Hygiene Bridge Program to receive credit for previous coursework. Vocational courses taken in a Dental Assisting program do not transfer to the traditional A.S. in Dental Hygiene degree program and will have to be repeated even though the content may be similar.
The following requirements must be met in order to apply to the Program:
- Complete Getting Started at Santa Fe College and Health Sciences requirements.
- Be a graduate of an ADA accredited 1230 contact-hour Dental Assisting program within the last 5 years. Be DANB certified and have at least one-year chair side dental assisting work experience.
- Complete prerequisite coursework with a grade of C or higher:
- BSC 2084/L Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (BSC 2085/L and BSC2086/L may be substituted in place of BSC2084/L)
- CHM 1030/L Elements of Chemistry with lab or higher chemistry with lab
- ENC 1101 College Composition
- HUN 1201 Human Nutrition
- a Humanities/Fine Arts course
- SPC2600 or SPC2608 Public Speaking
- MCB2010/L Microbiology with lab
- PSY2012 General Psychology or DEP2004 Developmental Psychology
- SYG2000 Intro to Sociology or SYG2010 Social Problems or SYG2430 Marriage and Family
- Possess a 2.50 or higher overall college GPA
- Complete an interest essay at time of application (Essay must be 500 words or less. Criteria and submission instructions noted on the online application screen).
All transcripts and coursework must be evaluated and accepted by SF College prior to the application date in order to qualify for application.
Program Cost, Scholarships and Aid
All tuition and fees are estimated costs and subject to change without notice.
Tuition 68 credit hours | |
In-State ($106.77 per credit hour) | $7,260.36 |
Out-of-State ($382.90 per credit hour) | $26,037.20 |
Lab Fees/Liability Insurance | $441.00 |
Books | $925.00 |
Health Physical and Immunizations | up to $450.00 |
American Heart Association CPR card (2 person infant/child). Health care provider course required; on line CPR training not accepted. | $55.00 |
Level 2 and Expanded National Background Screening; Drug Test | $185.00 |
Flu Vaccination (2) | $40.00 |
Instrument Kit/Equipment (due 1st week of classes) | $3,800.00 |
Uniforms (approximate cost for 2 uniforms, shoes and lab jacket) | $350.00 |
University of Florida Parking Decal | $320.00 |
Dental Hygiene National Board Examination/ADEX/State License (due last semester of the program) | $1,770.00 |
Total In-State | $15,596.36 |
Total Out-of-State | $33,373.20 |
Scholarships: |
There are many scholarships available for Santa Fe College students to apply to. Please visit the Scholarships webpage for more information and how to apply. |
Financial Aid: |
There are many options to finance your education. You may be eligible for Federal Grants, Work Study, State Grants, Federal Loans, and Institutional Scholarships. Please visit the Financial Aid page for more information and how to apply. |
Selection Criteria / Points System
Selection criteria and points system is subject to change. It is the applicant's responsibility to check with the Health Sciences Advisement Office for up-to-date requirements and information.
Overall College GPA: Maximum Points = 20 | |
4.00 to 3.75 | 20 points |
3.74 to 3.50 | 16 points |
3.49 to 3.25 | 12 points |
3.24 to 3.00 | 8 points |
2.99 to 2.75 | 4 points |
Grades Earned in Prerequisite Science Courses and Medical Terminology: Maximum Points = 36 | A | B+ | B | C+ |
BSC 2084 Anatomy & Physiology/Lab | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
CHM 1030/lab or CHM 1025/lab | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
MCB2010/L Microbiology with lab | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
HUN 1201 Human Nutrition | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
HSC2531 Medical Terminology | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Dental Assisting Work Experience: Maximum Points = 16 Degrees cannot be combined | |||
M.A./M.S. degree | 5 points | B.A./B.S. | 4 points |
Graduate of high school Health Academy (documentation required) | 3 points | A.A./A.S. degree | 3 points |
Full-time Dental Assisting Work Experience 13+ months or more within last 5 years | 8 points | Full-time Dental Assisting Work Experience 13+ months or more at time of application | 6 points |
All work experience MUST be documented and signed by employer. Incomplete or undocumented forms will not count for points consideration. HSAO cannot contact employers or verify experience hours. Documentation must include dates, hours worked, PT or FT status and duration of employment. Chair side dental assisting experience must be clearly noted.
Military Service: 5 Points |
Military Service - 5 points will be awarded to US Armed Forces active duty and honorably discharged veterans. Includes recent Reservist and National Guard combat deployments. DD-214 or proof of current service required. Part-time Reservist or National Guard service must be documented separately and equal 365 active duty days (i.e., weekend service, annual 2-week assignment and deployment). Service dates may be combined with proper documentation. Minimum of one year active duty service required. Veterans who receive a general discharge must be classified without misconduct. |
Program Length, Format and Curriculum
The Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene-Bridge at Santa Fe College is a four-semester program including the time necessary to complete prerequisite coursework. Coursework is completed in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The program is based on a 35-40 hour week schedule.
Semester | Course Number | Course Description |
Fall | DEH1000 | Preclinical Dental Hygiene Theory |
DEH1003 | Instrumentation | |
DEH1003L | Instrumentation Lab | |
DEH1400 | General and Oral Pathology | |
DEH2702 | Community Health Dentistry | |
DEH1010 | Head and Neck Anatomy | |
DES1030 | Histology and Embryology | |
Spring | DEH1800 | Dental Hygiene Theory 1 |
DEH1800L | Dental Hygiene Clinic 1 | |
DEH2300 | Pharmacology | |
DEH2602C | Periodontology | |
DEH2702L | Community Lab | |
Summer A | DEH1802C | Dental Hygiene Theory 2 |
DEH1802L | Dental Hygiene Clinic 2 | |
DEH2932 | Oral Medicine | |
Fall | DEH2804C | Dental Hygiene Theory 3 |
DEH2804L | Dental Hygiene Clinic 3 | |
DEH2806 | Dental Hygiene Theory 4 | |
DEH2806L | Dental Hygiene Clinic 4 | |
DEH2934 | Professional Development |
Program Mission and Philosophy
The philosophies of the program are as follows:
- To prepare students to assume the responsibilities of a health care professional and co-therapist in the practice of dentistry.
- To provide instruction which develops competencies in all of the professional services required of a Dental Assistant and Hygienist and prepare students to continue to develop and maintain professional competencies.
- To instill in students a commitment to provide quality services to all patients without discrimination.
- To stimulate interest and encourage students to participate in the development of the professions of Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene, through continuing education, research, and involvement with the professional organizations.
- To nurture the development of ethical and professional behaviors.
- To provide an atmosphere where growth and development flourishes and mutual respect exists between faculty and students participating together in the learning process.
- To provide curricula content which contains the most relevant, current, and accurate theoretical and clinical knowledge.
- To sequence curricula to allow for the most logical progression of content presentation, learning, and clinical skill development.
- To structure curricula to utilize a case-based teaching format, thereby facilitating the transfer of didactic material to clinical practice.
- To ensure that the curriculum provide learning experiences which reflect and meet the criteria of national boards/certifications and state regulatory agencies.
- To strive to meet community and individual needs through innovative curriculum development.
- To recognize the continuously changing needs of society for dental services, and to prepare the student to provide needed services regardless of the patients' age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital status, social or economic status, and physical or mental disability.
- To encourage faculty and students to demonstrate behaviors which reflect the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
Program Performance Standards
The Dental Hygiene Bridge Program is a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective and psychomotor performance requirements. Based on these requirements, the following list of Program Performance Standards has been developed. Each standard has an example of activities which a student will be required to perform, with or without an accommodation, while enrolled in the Dental Hygiene Bridge program. The Program Performance Standards should be used as a guide to assist applicants in determining whether or not accommodations or modifications are necessary in order to meet program participation requirements. Applicants who identify potential difficulties with meeting the Program Performance Standards should communicate their concerns to the Academic Chair for Dental Programs. If the concern is related to a documented disability, applicants are responsible for contacting the Disability Resource Center. Determination of reasonable and appropriate accommodation will be made on an individual basis in consultation with the Disability Resource Center. Additionally, applicants should assess their aptitude and ability to perform professional duties by reviewing the Program Performance Standards below and discussing them with their healthcare provider.
Issue | Standard | Examples |
Critical Thinking | Critical thinking sufficient for clinical judgment. | Take and interpret medical histories and x-rays; develop treatment plans and react to medical emergencies. |
Interpersonal | Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural and intellectual backgrounds. | Provide oral hygiene/oral health care instruction to patient and/or parents of patients. Explain informed consent and treatment plans. Establish good patient rapport. |
Communication | Communication abilities sufficient for interaction with others in prompt, coherent and concise manner. Must be able to follow spontaneous verbal and/or written instructions. Ability to accurately document pertinent information. | Communicate during the delivery of oral health care services; document procedures and consult with other health care providers. |
Mobility | Physical abilities sufficient to move independently from room to room and through hallways; maneuver in small places. Must be able to bend, crouch, squat, kneel, balance, reach above head, twist at waist. Must be able to sit and/or walk for extended periods of time. | Sit chair side with patients for prolonged periods of time and seat/transfer patient. Transfer instruments and equipment to and from sterilization area. Accompany patient to radiography area; expose, process and retrieve radiographs. |
Tactile and Motor Skills | Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to safely and effectively provide oral health care. Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment. | Perform expanded functions, debridements, root planning and x-rays. Palpate tissue, detect calculus and evaluate debridements. |
Hearing | Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs. | Assess medically compromised/medical emergencies; hear indicator tones (curing light units; radiography units and sphygmomanometer sounds); converse with patient and/or parents of patients. |
Visual | Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in oral health care. | Read, record in patient charts; evaluate tissue; write tissue descriptions; assess and evaluate oral health needs of the patient. |
Professional Appearance | As a representative of SF College and the Dental Hygiene Bridge Program, students must abide by specific professional appearance guidelines required by our clinical affiliates. Hair must be maintained within the range of natural color and must be conservative in length and style. Completely shaved or bald styles are acceptable; however, no partially shaved or one-sided haircuts are permitted. Visible tattoos must be covered by garments at all times. Visible body piercings are not allowed and earlobe gauges must be covered. Earrings are limited to one stud-style pair per ear. Clothing and footwear must comply with standards prescribed by the program. Facial hair should be kept neat and trimmed short. Artificial nails, nail polish, jewelry, watches and perfume are not permitted. |
Program Effectiveness
To view the program's effectiveness data, please go to the Health Sciences Program Effectiveness page.
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