Allied Dental Programs
Allied Dental Programs - IU Fort Wayne
Dental Hygiene B.S.
Program: B.S. in Dental Hygiene
Division of Allied Dental Education
Neff Hall 150 ~ 260-481-6837 ~ iufw.edu/dental
The B.S. in Dental Hygiene prepares students for a career as a dental health professional who specializes in educational, preventive, and therapeutic oral healthcare. The dental hygiene B.S. program involves one year of prerequisite courses and three years of dental hygiene
Dental hygienists who graduate with a Baccalaureate degree (B.S.) are required to take national, regional and state licensing examinations and are eligible to work in private dental offices, dental clinics and hospitals, public health facilities, and dental research facilities. As the dental hygiene profession continues to develop opportunities for expanded roles in diverse practice settings, the need for graduates with educational backgrounds in cultural diversity, trans-cultural health care, critical thinking, evidence-based practice
The required General Education credits of B.S in Dental Hygiene have been embedded in the BS-DH curriculum.
The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:
- Demonstrate breadth of knowledge in principles of social sciences, basic and dental sciences.
- Demonstrate proficiency in assessing, planning, treating, and evaluating oral conditions and diseases.
- Interpret, evaluate and contribute to current dental research and apply that knowledge to demonstrate dental hygiene skills necessary for life-long learning.
- Demonstrate the highest levels of personal integrity and professional ethics in the delivery of dental hygiene services.
- Promote the dental hygiene profession through service learning activities, affiliations with professional organizations, and partnerships with the community.
- Design,
implement, and evaluate culturally congruent community oral health programs appropriate for the diverse, multicultural communities in northeastern Indiana. - Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to be responsible dental professionals and leaders in local, regional, national, and international organizations and communities.
- Demonstrate proficiency in critical thinking, reasoning, questioning, and decision-making skills.
- Demonstrate the written, oral, and multimedia skills necessary to communicate effectively in diverse professional and educational settings for multicultural audiences.
Admission Criteria
Admission to the Dental Hygiene program is limited and competitive, and admission to IUFW does not confer acceptance to the Dental Hygiene program. To be admitted to the B.S. D.H. program, prospective dental hygiene students must first be admitted to IUFW as a pre-dental hygiene student, complete the prerequisite courses listed below (or equivalent courses at another accredited college or university), then apply separately to the Dental Hygiene program. Applications for acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program MUST BE received by February 1, for admission into the program in the following fall semester.
- Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C-” or better. Courses graded on a pass/fail option will not be considered.
- Prerequisite courses may be repeated only once, with the most recent grade used in the prerequisite GPA calculation. A maximum of two prerequisite courses may be retaken to improve the grades and GPA ranking.
- Credits in human anatomy, physiology, chemistry
and microbiology must be completed within five years of admission to the professional program. Credits in English composition, speech, psychology, and sociology will be accepted for 10 years. Outdated courses must be retaken. - Advanced Placement (AP) courses in English and psychology are
acceptable, if AP scores are 4.0 or higher. No other AP courses will be accepted. - Transfer courses accepted by IUFW as “undistributed” must be evaluated by the applicable department (i.e. chemistry or biology) before they are accepted as
prerequisite course. - Students who are returning to IUFW, after an absence of 5 or more years, are eligible for the Academic Renewal Option. This option must be exercised during the student’s first semester back at IUFW. Interested students should petition the program’s admissions committee, by contacting their academic advisor.
Class Selection Process
Applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the prerequisite courses listed below. Meeting the minimum GPA does NOT guarantee a position in the program. Applicants are ranked and accepted each year based on their prerequisite GPA. Therefore, the GPA necessary for admission varies each year with the applicant pool. Admission is competitive and a prerequisite GPA of at least 3.5 or higher is recommended. In the event of multiple applicants who have the same prerequisite GPA, they will be ranked within that prerequisite GPA level by their cumulative GPA. Additional aptitude testing and/or personal interviews may be required as part of the class selection process.
Special Academic Regulations
In addition to completion of the required pre-requisite and co-requisite courses, acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program is contingent upon an applicant’s ability to meet the following additional requirements:
- Applicants who have served in the military must submit an official military transcript to receive transfer credit, if applicable.
- Pass a drug-screening test, if applicable.
- Complete Compliance, at student’s expense: Physicals, Immunizations, TB, CPR, Successful Background Checks, and Potential Drug Screening
- IUSD requires proof of immunizations and/or official proof of immunity for Hepatitis B, MMR, Varicella (chicken pox), current Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, an annual TB test
and influenza vaccine. The summer before starting the program, students must submit evidence they have completed a recent physical examination and TB testing, completed all required immunizations, and hold a current CPR certification at the professional/healthcare-provider level with the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. Students must also complete the background check from the required provider at their own expense and complete drug screeningtest, if required. - Tattoos and Head and Neck Piercings
- The dental profession is extremely conservative. In clinical settings, head and neck piercings and tattoos are not considered acceptable in the health science professions. If students have noticeable tattoos, they must be covered by clothing or with bandages. For clinical attire, all head and neck piercings must be removed, including plugs.
- Attendance
- Because of the experiential learning process used in all dental hygiene courses, attendance is essential and mandatory. Some evening hours are required for additional clinical experiences and professional association meetings.
- Patients
- Students are responsible for finding and scheduling all their patients at IUFW.
Criteria for Dismissal from the Dental Hygiene Program
A student who is dismissed from the program may appeal the decision to the Department of Allied Dental Education. If the student is dismissed for failure to meet the university’s minimum academic standards, application for readmission must follow the procedures established by the university.
Dismissal from the Dental Hygiene Program may result from professional misconduct. Students who have been accepted to the program will receive a program handbook/manual at summer orientation that must be read before starting classes. All students will be held to the academic and professional standards of behavior as outlined in the Dental Hygiene Student Handbook/Policies and Procedures Manual.
While every attempt is made to provide accurate and current information in this bulletin, Indiana University reserves the right to change without notice statements in the bulletin series concerning rules, policies, fees, curricula, courses, or other matters.