Dental Hygiene (BS)

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Departmental Admission Requirements

Admission into the Dental Hygiene program is a tiered process: Lower and Upper Divisions. Students apply to the UofL Lower Division to complete general education and program pre-requisite courses on the Belknap Campus. Students apply to the Dental School Upper Division to complete the professional component of the Bachelor of Science Dental Hygiene Degree Program on the HSC Campus in the School of Dentistry.

Admission to the Lower Division does not guarantee admission to the Upper Division. Admission to the Upper Division is competitive.   

University of Louisville Students Changing Majors

Students who have completed at least one semester in another school of the University earning a grade point average of at least 2.8, and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or above for all college coursework may apply to the Lower Division Program in Dental Hygiene.

Please refer to catalog pages containing admissions details for the Dental Hygiene program.

General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements 131
The following courses are required by the program and should be taken to fulfill the respective General Education Requirement:
Chemistry and Contemporary Society - S 1
Chemistry for Health Professionals - S
Biology: Current Issues and Applications - S 1
Laboratory for Biology: Current Issues and Applications - SL 1
Quantitative Reasoning - QR
College Algebra - QR
Introduction to Psychology - SB

All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  To complete the degree in the minimum number of hours listed on the Overview tab, some hours from the General Education Requirements must be satisfied by courses defined by the unit and/or program.

College/School Requirements

Dental Hygiene Lower Division Curriculum

CHEM 101Chemistry and Contemporary Society - S3
or CHEM 105 Chemistry for Health Professionals - S
BIOL 102Biology: Current Issues and Applications - S3
BIOL 104Laboratory for Biology: Current Issues and Applications - SL1
MATH 105Quantitative Reasoning - QR3
or MATH 111 College Algebra - QR
PSYC 201Introduction to Psychology - SB3
DHED 101Dental Hygiene Academic Orientation1
BIOL 257Introduction to Microbiology - S 13
BIOL 260Human Anatomy & Physiology I 13
BIOL 261Human Anatomy & Physiology II 13
BIOL 264
BIOL 265
Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory 1
1
or BIOL 262 Human Anatomy & Physiology Lab
HSS 303Human Nutrition 13
or PHEH 331 Food Composition and Public Health
Select one of the following Statistics courses:3
Introduction to Social Statistics - QR
Introduction to Social Statistics
Introduction to Social Statistics
Select one of the following Sociology courses:3
Introduction to Sociology - SB
Social Problems - SB, D1
Self and Society
Race in the United States - SB, D1
Elective(s) 23
Minimum Total Hours36

Program/Major Requirements

Dental Hygiene Upper Division Curriculum

Plan of Study Grid
Year 3
FallHours
DHED 301 Dental Hygiene Theory I 3
DHED 302 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice I 2
DHED 303 Dental Anatomy 2
DHED 304 Radiography 2
DHED 305 Structural Biology of Head and Neck 3
DHED 307 Physical Diagnosis and Medical Management 3
 Hours15
Spring
DHED 308 Pre-Clinical Radiography 1
DHED 309 General and Oral Pathology 3
DHED 310 Periodontology 3
DHED 311 Dental Materials 3
DHED 312 Oral Health Education 2
DHED 313 Dental Hygiene Theory II 3
DHED 314 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice II 3
 Hours18
Summer
DHED 315 Pain and Anxiety Control 3
DHED 316 Community Dental Health I 2
 Hours5
Year 4
Fall
DHED 402 Pharmacology 3
DHED 403 Evidenced Based Practice 1
DHED 404 Special Needs Patients 2
DHED 405 Advanced Periodontology I 1
DHED 406 Community Dental Health II 2
DHED 407 Advanced Technology and Patient Care Procedures I 2
DHED 408 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice III 4
DHED 409 Clinical Radiography I 1
 Hours16
Spring
DHED 410 Advanced Radiology 1
DHED 411 Clinical Radiography II 1
DHED 412 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice IV 4
DHED 413 Advanced Periodontology II 1
DHED 414 Advanced Technology and Patient Care Procedures II 1
DHED 415 Dental Hygiene Ethics and Practice Mangement 2
DHED 417 Dental Hygiene Extramural Education - CUE 2
 Hours12
 Minimum Total Hours66

Students must earn a letter grade of C or better in all Dental Hygiene Upper Division Clinical and Science courses. 

Culminating Undergraduate Experience (Graduation requirement)
Requirement fulfilled by completing:
Dental Hygiene Extramural Education - CUE
1

Students must make a C or above in these courses and must have completed them within 10 years of applying for Upper Division admission. To complete the degree in the minimum number of hours listed, some hours from the General Education Requirements must be satisfied by courses defined by the unit and/or program. Using other courses to satisfy General Education requirements will require additional hours to complete the degree requirements (or decrease the listed electives).

2

 Ethics course recommended.

Flight Plan

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallHours
DHED 101 Dental Hygiene Academic Orientation 1
ENGL 101 Introduction to College Writing - WC 3
BIOL 102 Biology: Current Issues and Applications - S 3
BIOL 104 Laboratory for Biology: Current Issues and Applications - SL 1
CHEM 101
Chemistry and Contemporary Society - S
or Chemistry for Health Professionals - S
3-4
MATH 105
Quantitative Reasoning - QR
or College Algebra - QR
3
 Hours14-15
Spring
ENGL 102 Intermediate College Writing - WC 3
BIOL 257 Introduction to Microbiology - S 3
PSYC 201 Introduction to Psychology - SB 3
General Education: Cardinal Core Oral Communication - OC 3
General Education: Cardinal Core Social & Behavioral Sciences Historical Perspective - SBH 3
 Hours15
Year 2
Fall
BIOL 260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I 3
BIOL 264 Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory 1
MATH 109
Introduction to Social Statistics - QR (QR requirement must be previously satisfied to select PSYC 301 or SOC 301)
or Introduction to Social Statistics
or Introduction to Social Statistics
3
HSS 303 Human Nutrition 3
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities Global Diversity - AHD2 3
 Hours13
Spring
BIOL 261 Human Anatomy & Physiology II 3
BIOL 265 Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory 1
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities - AH 3
SOC 201
Introduction to Sociology - SB
or Social Problems - SB, D1
or Self and Society
or Race in the United States - SB, D1
3
Elective(s), Ethics course recommended 3
 Hours13
Year 3
Fall
DHED 301 Dental Hygiene Theory I 3
DHED 302 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice I 2
DHED 303 Dental Anatomy 2
DHED 304 Radiography 2
DHED 305 Structural Biology of Head and Neck 3
DHED 307 Physical Diagnosis and Medical Management 3
 Hours15
Spring
DHED 308 Pre-Clinical Radiography 1
DHED 309 General and Oral Pathology 3
DHED 310 Periodontology 3
DHED 311 Dental Materials 3
DHED 312 Oral Health Education 2
DHED 313 Dental Hygiene Theory II 3
DHED 314 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice II 3
 Hours18
Summer
DHED 315 Pain and Anxiety Control 3
DHED 316 Community Dental Health I 2
 Hours5
Year 4
Fall
DHED 402 Pharmacology 3
DHED 403 Evidenced Based Practice 1
DHED 404 Special Needs Patients 2
DHED 405 Advanced Periodontology I 1
DHED 406 Community Dental Health II 2
DHED 407 Advanced Technology and Patient Care Procedures I 2
DHED 408 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice III 4
DHED 409 Clinical Radiography I 1
 Hours16
Spring
DHED 410 Advanced Radiology 1
DHED 411 Clinical Radiography II 1
DHED 412 Dental Hygiene Principles of Practice IV 4
DHED 413 Advanced Periodontology II 1
DHED 414 Advanced Technology and Patient Care Procedures II 1
DHED 415 Dental Hygiene Ethics and Practice Mangement 2
DHED 417 Dental Hygiene Extramural Education - CUE 2
 Hours12
 Minimum Total Hours121-122

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan.  What-if reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

  1. Log into your ULink account.
  2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
  3. Select the appropriate report.
    1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
    2. To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
    3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.

The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene program is broken into distinct academic plan codes for lower and upper division requirements. Incoming students complete the lower division preparatory coursework requirements on the main Belknap campus and then apply for competitive admission to the Dental Hygiene upper division program, which is housed in the School of Dentistry on the Health Sciences Center Campus.  Completion of the lower division program does not guarantee admission to the upper division program.  The lower division program does not prepare students for licensure as a dental hygienist.  The upper division program is considered a licensure program designed to meet educational requirements for licensure as a dental hygienist.  Upon acceptance, enrollment in the upper division program’s academic plan code is considered the first term of enrollment in the licensure program under the Program Participation Agreement for Title IV federal financial aid eligible programs of the Higher Education Act (CFR § 668.14 (b)(32)).

If you plan to pursue professional licensure, first determine the state’s criteria for examination and licensure to better understand how UofL's program meets those requirements prior to enrollment. We recommend that you also contact the state’s licensing board directly to verify that the requirements have not changed and determine if there are additional requirements beyond the degree. 

More information about licensure is available at the following website:  https://louisville.edu/oapa/licensure-information (you may search by school or by the name of the program then click on 'View Details' to display the information).