The Dental Hygiene AAS degree program educates students to provide preventive oral health care services to patients. Major responsibilities include assessing a patient’s health history, examining the teeth and oral structures, removing plaque biofilm, calculus and stain from the teeth, taking intraoral radiographs and educating patients in oral self-care practices. Graduates are prepared to pass national, regional and state board licensing exams required for dental hygiene licensure.

This selective admissions program requires students to submit a separate application or to take additional action before enrolling.

For more information on the Dental Hygiene AAS program at Malcolm X College, visit the program webpage.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
General Education Coursework
ENGLISH 101	Composition	3
MATH 118	General Education Math (or higher)	4
PSYCH 201	General Psychology	3
CHEM 121	Basic Chemistry I (or higher)	4
SOC 201	Intro To the Study Of Society (HD)	3
Required Program Core
DENTHYG 112	Introduction to Dental Hygiene	1
DENTHYG 119	Introduction to Dental Radiography	1.5
DENTHYG 121	Dental Hygiene Theory I	2
DENTHYG 122	Dental Hygiene Theory II	2
DENTHYG 123	Pre-Clinical Dental Hygiene	2
DENTHYG 125	Diet and Nutrition in Oral Health	2
DENTHYG 126	Dental Radiology	1.5
DENTHYG 130	Dental Materials	3
DENTHYG 131	Oral Structures & Function	3
DENTHYG 132	General/Oral Pathology and Diagnosis	3
DENTHYG 133	Head And Neck Anatomy	2
DENTHYG 135	Medical Emergencies in the Dental Setting	1
DENTHYG 202	Critique of Dental Literature	1
DENTHYG 233	Expanded Functions	3
DENTHYG 235	Community Dental Health I	2
DENTHYG 241	Dental Pharmacology	2
DENTHYG 244	Periodontics for Dental Hygienist	3
DENTHYG 256	Community Dental Health II	1
DENTHYG 258	Ethics And Jurisprudence	2
DENTHYG 260	Senior Seminar	2
Required Work-Based Learning Courses
DENTHYG 124	Clinical Dental Hygiene I	3
DENTHYG 200	Clinical Dental Hygiene II	3
DENTHYG 251	Clinical Dental Hygiene III	6
DENTHYG 252	Clinical Dental Hygiene IV	5
Total Hours		74

Pathway

This is an example course sequence for students interested in earning a degree in Dental Hygiene. It does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If this pathway is followed as outlined, you will earn an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Dental Hygiene.

Please note: Semesters 1–3 are “pre-dental hygiene pathway”. Semesters 4–9 occur after acceptance in the Dental Hygiene program. BIOLOGY 120 Terminology For Medical Careers is not required.

Prospective students must apply for admission into the Dental Hygiene program.

Semester-by-Semester Program Plan for Full-Time Students

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
BIOLOGY 121	Biology I 1	5
	Hours	5
Semester 2
BIOLOGY 226	Human Structure and Function I 1	4
SPEECH 101	Fundamentals of Speech Communication 1	3
	Hours	7
Semester 3
MCROBIO 233	General Microbiology 1	4
BIOLOGY 227	Human Structure and Function II 1	4
	Hours	8
Semester 4
Summer
DENTHYG 112	Introduction to Dental Hygiene	1
CHEM 121	Basic Chemistry I 2	4
	Hours	5
Semester 5
Fall
DENTHYG 119	Introduction to Dental Radiography	1.5
DENTHYG 121	Dental Hygiene Theory I	2
DENTHYG 123	Pre-Clinical Dental Hygiene	2
DENTHYG 125	Diet and Nutrition in Oral Health	2
DENTHYG 131	Oral Structures & Function	3
DENTHYG 133	Head And Neck Anatomy	2
DENTHYG 135	Medical Emergencies in the Dental Setting	1
ENGLISH 101	Composition 2	3
	Hours	16.5
Semester 6
Spring
DENTHYG 122	Dental Hygiene Theory II	2
DENTHYG 124	Clinical Dental Hygiene I	3
DENTHYG 126	Dental Radiology	1.5
DENTHYG 130	Dental Materials	3
DENTHYG 132	General/Oral Pathology and Diagnosis	3
SOC 201	Intro To the Study Of Society (HD) 2	3
	Hours	15.5
Semester 7
Summer
DENTHYG 200	Clinical Dental Hygiene II	3
MATH 118	General Education Math 2	4
	Hours	7
Semester 8
Fall
DENTHYG 233	Expanded Functions	3
DENTHYG 235	Community Dental Health I	2
DENTHYG 241	Dental Pharmacology	2
DENTHYG 244	Periodontics for Dental Hygienist	3
DENTHYG 251	Clinical Dental Hygiene III	6
	Hours	16
Semester 9
Spring
DENTHYG 202	Critique of Dental Literature	1
DENTHYG 252	Clinical Dental Hygiene IV	5
DENTHYG 256	Community Dental Health II	1
DENTHYG 258	Ethics And Jurisprudence	2
DENTHYG 260	Senior Seminar	2
PSYCH 201	General Psychology 2	3
	Hours	14
	Total Hours	94

¹

Program Prerequisite

²

General Education Requirement

Program Admission Requirements

The program is very competitive, and meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. In order to be considered for admission, students must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Graduate from an accredited high school or earn a GED
• Meet general admissions requirements for Malcolm X College including successful completion of all prerequisite courses for the Dental Hygiene program
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 in all college-level work
• Submit to Office of Registrar Services all official college transcripts attended outside of City Colleges of Chicago 
• Grade of “C” or better in BIOLOGY 121 Biology I, BIOLOGY 226 Human Structure and Function I, and BIOLOGY 227 Human Structure and Function II, SPEECH 101 Fundamentals of Speech Communication, and MCROBIO 233 General Microbiology
  • All science prerequisite courses must be taken within five (5) years of being accepted to the program.
• Students who meet the minimum admissions requirement will receive a link to the online dental hygiene application via e-mail starting late October. 
• Strongly encouraged that applicants attend a dental hygiene open house
• Submit the dental hygiene admissions packet

For more information on admissions requirements and the application process, visit the program webpage.

Careers

This program can prepare students for the jobs listed below. Click on each one to learn more, including average earnings, annual job openings, and how much education people in that field have. For additional guidance and resources on career options, current City Colleges students and alumni can contact the Career Services Office.

Dental Hygienists

Job Description

Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.

Salary Based on Experience Level

Take a look at the average hourly/annual earnings for this career in Cook County

Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES data from the BLS and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.

• View Annual Wages
• View Hourly Wages

Annual Wages

Entry-Level 10th Percentile	$46,098
Median 50th Percentile	$77,353
Senior-Level 90th Percentile	$94,465

Hourly Wages

Entry-Level 10th Percentile	$22
Median 50th Percentile	$37
Senior-Level 90th Percentile	$45

Annual Job Openings

269 annual openings in Cook County

National Education Attainment

Here, you can see the level of education that people in this career complete.

Degree Program	% of Jobs
A high school diploma or less	0.00%
A certificate	0.00%
Some college	0.00%
An Associate degree	75.18%
A Bachelor's degree	12.08%
A Master's or Professional degree	12.74%
A Doctoral degree or more	0.00%

24.82% continue their education beyond an associate degree