Dental Hygiene Program Application Information

A. Minimum Standards to Apply

Apply to Cypress College to obtain a Cypress College student ID#. The email address used on the Cypress College application will be used within your Health Science Application and for all email interactions between the college faculty and staff, clinical sites, and any other program related email interactions.
High School graduation or passing of the General Education Development tests (GED) or passing of high school proficiency.
Minimum of 17 years of age to apply. Must be 18 years of age to start the program.
A minimum of a 2.5 GPA in ALL college work attempted and a 3.0 GPA in the science prerequisites. Official transcript from all colleges is required.
Evidence of “good” physical and mental health as determined by medical examination upon admission to the program and prior to program enrollment.
Three (3) science courses must be completed prior to application. Beginning January 1, 2024, all science prerequisites and requirements must be completed at the time of application.
Four (4) General Education courses must be completed prior to application. Beginning January 1, 2024, all general education prerequisites and requirements must be completed at the time of application.
All applicants accepted to the program are required to attend a mandatory orientation.
Students must demonstrate by laboratory testing and medical examination no contagious disease, such as: active Tuberculosis, or Hepatitis carrier with e antigen. Attendance in the dental hygiene program’s laboratory and clinical courses would be denied based upon CDC regulations and invasive exposure-prone procedures. Please discuss health concerns with a Health Science counselor before application.

B. Program Prerequisites and Requirements

The following courses must be completed with a minimum grade of “C” and an over-all GPA of 2.5. Once a passing grade is achieved, courses may not be repeated for a higher grade.

All accepted applicants are required to pass DH 100C Introduction to Dental Hygiene. Failure to pass DH 100C prohibits future applications.

**Beginning January 1, 2024, all science and general education prerequisites and requirements must be completed at the time of application.

Science Prerequisites: Must be completed within five years at the time of application, and with an overall GPA of 3.0. Only two (2) sciences can be in progress at the time of application and must be completed by the end of the spring semester.

CHEM 101C – Chemistry for Health Science Majors I – 4.0 units
CHEM 201C – Chemistry for Health Science Majors II – 4.5 units
BIOL 220C – Medical Microbiology – 4.0 units
BIOL 231C – General Human Anatomy – 4.0 units
BIOL 241C – General Human Physiology – 4.0 units

General Education Prerequisites: Only two (2) general education courses can be in progress at the time of application and must be completed by the end of the spring semester. The following courses must be completed at the time of application with a minimum grade of “C” or better.

PSY 101C – Introduction to Psychology – 3.0 units
COMM 100C – Human Communication – 3.0 units
SOC 101C – Introduction to Sociology – 3.0 units
ENGL 100C/ENGL 101C/ESL 110C – College Writing – 4.0 units
Math 40C – Intermediate Algebra or higher – 4.0 units
HRC 100C – Nutrition (meets PE requirement) – 3.0 units
OR
BIO 107C – Nutrition and World Food Issues – 3.0 units
Social Justice, Equity and Sustainability (formerly known as Cultural Diversity) – 3.0 units

General Education and Graduation Requirements

The following additional courses are required for the Associate degree and must be completed by the time of application. All general education courses must be completed with a “C” or better. Please refer to the Cypress College Catalog for current Native General Education requirements.

Arts and Humanities
Arts (minimum 3 units)
Humanities (minimum 3 units)
Physical Activity/Health (1-3 units)

C. Application Procedures

Before the application opens online, review and follow the required instructions on the Checklist and Sample Application on the Dental Hygiene home page.
Apply to Cypress College to obtain a Cypress College student ID#.
Once a Cypress College Student ID# has been received, submit required official transcripts from other colleges to Cypress College Admissions and Records. Admission and Records will not accept transcripts opened prior to submission, PDF documents sent from a student, unofficial transcripts, or a Cypress College transcript.

- Digitally (directly from school to school) – send to incomingtranscripts@cypresscollege.edu Attn: Transcripts. You can choose Cypress College if that is an option when ordering.

- Through mail (unofficial if opened) –
  Cypress College
  Admissions and Records – Transcripts
  9200 Valley View St.
  Cypress, CA 90630

Application must be completed online during the month of February. Application deadline.
Notification letters are emailed out no later than May 1.
Log into the online Health Science Application using MyGateway credentials. Submit needed documents following the instructions within the online Health Science application.
Determination of acceptance is based upon the selection criteria.

D. Candidate Selection Criteria

Students for the DH program are selected using the system listed below. No other criteria are used for selection.
Ranking will be based on:

- GPA of Science prerequisite courses
- GPA of General Education courses used within application will be used in the event there is a tie in GPA of Science prerequisite courses.
- Application Reference Number (determined by date and time of electronically submitted application) will be used in the event there is a tie in GPA of General Education courses.
Students who are not accepted to the program will need to reapply the following year.
Applicants normally exceed capacity.
F-1 visa students will not be accepted for admission into any program when applications by qualified U.S. citizens exceed space available (AP 5012 1.4.).
All required paperwork must be submitted by March 15 to be considered eligible.
Acceptance is based on a confirmation response by the deadline stated in the notification letter from the applicant selected and followed by mandatory attendance at an orientation and passing DH 100 C Introduction to Dental Hygiene.
DH 100 – Passing this course is required for all accepted and alternate students to start the program in the fall. This course will be offered in the summer – Dates TBD. Failure to pass DH 100C prohibits future applications.
Selection criteria is subject to change.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: Students will be required to pass a formal background check before placement in affiliated hospitals/clinics. During the learning process, students are required to perform dental hygiene process of care on each other.

E. Dental Hygiene Program Requirements

Curriculum

Semester I

DH 101C – Dental Anatomy & Morphology – 2.0 units
DH 104C – Oral Health Assessment – 3.0 units
DH 105C – Oral Embryology and Histology – 3.0 units
DH 106C – Radiology Tech/Hygienists – 3.0 units
DH 109C – Pre-Clinical Dental Hygiene – 4.5 units
DH 148C – Medical/Dental Emergencies – 2.0 units

Semester I Units – 17.5

Semester II

DH 110C – Clinical Dental Hygiene – 6.0 units
DH 112C – Head and Neck Anatomy – 2.0 units
DH 113C – General and Oral Pathology – 2.0 units
DH 116C – Dental Materials/Hygienists – 2.0 units
DH 125C – Perio Pathology & Therapy – 2.0 units

Semester II Units – 14.0

Semester III

DH 220C – Clinical Dental Hygiene – 6.5 units
DH 240C – Community Oral Health I – 2.0 units
DH 250C – Pharmacology – 2.0 units
DH 255C – Dental Anesthesiology – 3.0 units
DH 260C – Dental Care for Special Needs – 2.0 units

Semester III Units – 15.5

Semester IV

DH 221C – Clinical Dental Hygiene – 6.5 units
DH 230C – Dental Specialties – 2.0 units
DH 241C – Community Oral Health II – 2.0 units
DH 245C – Dental Jurisprudence – 2.0 units

Semester IV Units – 14.0

Elective: DH 275C or DH 276C Clinical Dental Hygiene 0.5 unit (Summer Session)

A student must attain a minimum of a “C” in all required courses to continue in the program.

The Dental Hygiene Program offers four certificates upon completion of the program.

Radiology Safety Certificate
Dental Hygiene Pit and Fissure Sealant Certificate
Ultrasonic Scaling and Coronal Polishing Certificate
Administration of Local Anesthesia, Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen Analgesia and Periodontal Soft Tissue Curettage Certificate

In compliance with the Dental Hygiene Board of California, all applicants for California Dental Hygiene licensure must (1) successfully pass written and clinical Board Examination and Law and Ethics Examination, and (2) have no criminal record, or the board must determine that a past criminal record poses no threat to the public health, safety, or welfare. Finger printing is required and checked through the Department of Justice and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The applicant must report on the Application for Licensure, any convictions, or pleas of nolo contendere, even if the conviction was dismissed. Making a false statement on an application, regarding a past conviction, is cause for denial of a license, regardless of the nature of the crime or how long ago it occurred.

Health Science Counselors
Division of Health Science
Cypress College
9200 Valley View St.
Cypress, CA 90630-5897
(714) 484-7015

Health Science Applications Office
Health Science Building/TE3-217
Cypress College
9200 Valley View St.
Cypress, CA 90630-5897
healthscience@cypresscollege.edu

The North Orange County Community College District, in compliance with all applicable Federal and State Laws, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, religion, disability, sex, or sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures, or practices. The district is also committed to maintaining campuses that are free of harassment, drugs, and alcohol.