Pictured | Alejandra Montoya-Rubalcava | Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene | Syracuse, Indiana (hometown)
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Mission

The mission of the Division of Dental Education is to be a leader in providing high quality education, clinical experiences, and interprofessional collaborative opportunities to undergraduate students for future roles as oral health professionals. The Division of Dental Education faculty and staff are committed to excellence in the theory and practice of dental hygiene and in the development of competent, socially sensitive, culturally diverse, and ethically responsible professionals.

Program Goals

Indiana University South Bend's Dental Hygiene program will:

• Deliver an exceptional educational program that upholds the highest standards of professionalism while preparing students to engage with evidence-based practices throughout their careers.
• Provide rigorous and dynamic learning experiences that challenge students to use sound judgment, critical thinking, and evidence-based decision-making in delivering high-quality patient care.
• Emphasize the role of the dental hygienist as a prevention specialist, involving students in dental public health initiatives that promote health and prevent disease, grounded in current best practices.
• Foster a collaborative and informed approach where the dental hygienist contributes as a leader within the healthcare team, enhancing interdisciplinary communication and improving patient outcomes.

Program Objectives

To be able to fulfill the requirements of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene, graduates of the Entry-level Dental Hygiene Program at Indiana University South Bend will be able to:

• Deliver high quality person-centered care by safely applying best practices and standards of care using sound judgment, critical thinking skills, and evidence-based decision making
• Demonstrate scientific reasoning by critically evaluating ideas and claims
• Adhere to the ethical, legal, and professional codes of conduct expected of the dental hygiene practitioner
• Respond to the evolving needs of the profession and public health by applying an understanding of the diverse roles of the hygienist as recognized by the ADHA
• Engage as an oral health promotion specialist involved in public health interventions related to health promotion and disease prevention

Dedication to Humanistic Environment

In the Division of Dental Education’s humanistic environment, students, staff, and faculty experience freedom from intimidation and judgment, close professional relationships, freedom to explore their environment, the opportunity to take appropriate risks within the environment, and the development of trusting and accepting relationships among members, regardless of institutional position or diversity of background.

Accreditation

The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. The Commission’s web address is: coda.ada.org/en. 

Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosure

The Dental Hygiene BS Degree curriculum follows the rules of the American Dental Association’s Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA) in preparing students for a degree in dental hygiene. This degree prepares the graduate to complete professional licensure examinations. Indiana University South Bend Entry-Level Dental Hygiene BS Degree curriculum satisfies the educational requirements for graduates to apply for licensure, as well as local anesthesia certification in the state of Indiana. The School has not made a determination as to the sufficiency of its program to satisfy professional licensing or certification requirements of any other state or jurisdiction. Students should consult the Board of Dental Examiners in their state to confirm if the degree from IU South Bend meets the criteria for professional licensure in their state.

Contact information for the Boards of Dental Examiners can be found at adha.org/licensure

The Student’s Responsibility

All universities establish academic requirements that must be met before a degree is conferred. These regulations concern such things as curricula and courses, the requirements for majors and minors, and university procedures and policies. Each student is individually responsible for fulfilling them. Advisors and faculty are available to advise students on how to meet these requirements. If the requirements have not been satisfied, the degree will be withheld pending satisfactory fulfillment. For this reason, it is important for each student to be knowledgeable of all of the requirements described in the IU South Bend Undergraduate Bulletin and the Program in the Dental Hygiene Program Handbook.

Each student has an individualized academic record that lists all past and current coursework and how that coursework fulfills the requirements for the student’s academic program. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the information is accurate and reflects completion of all requirements before graduation.

Students are expected to comply with the:

• Academic Regulations and Policies of Indiana University
• Professional Codes of Conduct of the American Dental Hygienists' Association
• Standards of Practice of the American Dental Hygienists' Association
• Components of Professional Behavior of the IUSB Dental Hygiene Program
• Dental Hygiene Program Handbook and Clinic Manual

Dental Hygiene

The IU South Bend campus offers the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH), entry level for those new to the field. The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Dental Hygiene Program is an agency member of the American Dental Educator’s Association and the American Dental Association.

General Information

Dental Hygiene is the study of the art and science of preventive oral health care including the management of behavior to prevent oral disease and promote health.

The Entry-level Dental Hygiene Program strives to offer a creative curriculum for meeting the current and future oral health needs of society. The curriculum prepares a generalist in professional dental hygiene and serves as a basis for graduate study. The purpose of the bachelor’s program is to produce graduates who think critically, are culturally, ethically, and legally competent; are effective, politically aware, communicators and coordinators of community resources; and are competent providers of health care, professional role models, and responsible managers. The curriculum focuses on health and wellness as well as alterations in states of wellness and viewing persons as part of their environments.

Our students are the driving force behind our program and who make coming to work fun for each one of our faculty. IU South Bend Dental Hygiene program becomes family for each of our students. Hygiene school is like no other program. Classmates and faculty are in it together and will work as a team. Students will receive our faculty's undivided expert attention.

Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Program

Predental Hygiene Status

Students are admitted as Health Sciences Pre-Dental Hygiene BS students while they are completing prerequisite courses for the Entry-Level Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. 

After completing all prerequisite coursework, students will apply to the professional program. Enrollment in the professional program is competitive, meaning not all qualified applicants will be provided an offer of admission. Interested students are encouraged to work with an IU South Ben professional advisor to assess their eligibility for admission and their potential for successfully competing with other applicants. Professional advisors can share insights of historic trends in general statistics related to the admission criteria.  Additionally, information about the competitive nature of the most recent application cycle can be found on the program's web page.

Professional Program

One group of 20 students is admitted into the Entry-Level Dental Hygiene degree program each year. The Entry-level clinical dental hygiene program begins the course of study in the fall semester.

Admission criteria is established by the Director, staff, and faculty of the Division of Dental Education. Applications and application materials are processed using multiple layers of review to ensure a fair and equitable opportunity for all students.

An application for admission to the Entry-Level Dental Hygiene degree program must be completed by February 1. Each applicant is evaluated on the basis of academic preparation and record. In the competitive process, applicants are scored and ranked based on the following: 

• Application GPA
• Science GPA
• Multidimensional Evaluation Criteria
• Cumulative GPA
• Completion of General Education Requirements
• Note | GPA scores will be calculated by averaging all attempts of required coursework, including equivalent courses unless the student were granted grade replacement per IU policy prior to the application deadline. See the equivalency list for course transfers. Please note that grade replacements is not the same as the IU policy for "best grade". Grade Replacement is a separate process which involves steps with the student and the Registrar on your campus.

Criteria for Admission Eligibility

Prerequisite Courses

All School of Applied Health Science clinical programs will accept courses counting toward the degree outside of the seven year time frame, except for required sciences. Program Directors may allow rare exemptions to students whose sciences have been completed over 7 years ago. Exemptions include, but are not limited to, work experience, prior license, and certifications and will be examined on a case-by-case basis.

The prerequisite courses below or IU South Bend equivalents will be accepted.  If a course does not transfer directly as the course listed, the sciences and/or hygiene program director appropriate administrator may review the course syllabus to determine equivalency. Submit all documents for review prior to application deadline.

Non-Science Courses

• Written Communications (ENG-W 131)
• Sociology (SOC-S 161)
• Psychology (PSY-P 103)
• Oral Communications (SPCH-S 121)

Science Courses

• Chemistry (CHEM-C 102)
• Anatomy (ANAT-A 210 or ANAT-P 261)
• Physiology (PHSL-P 130, PHSL-P 204, or PHSL-P 262)

Standards for Admission

Admission to the BSDH Entry-level Dental Hygiene Program is open to qualified individuals and complies with all applicable state and federal non-discrimination laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Indiana Civil Rights Law. Indiana University South Bend Division of Dental Education will consider applicants who have met the minimal eligibility requirements for the program.

To be eligible for admission a student must minimally:

• Have an active offer of admission the year of application to the program to at Indiana University South Bend on file at the time of application closure (February 1)
• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all prerequisite coursework
• Demonstrate the defined essential abilities with or without reasonable accommodations
• Comply with all policies and procedures of the program, college, campus, and/or university, including compliant background check with IU Policy PS-01
• Provide proof of medical insurance and medical requirements for clinical work
• Never been dismissed from previous health care program and/or have negative action on a certificate or licensure
• Completed the appropriate application process by February 1
• Completed all prerequisite courses by the end of spring semester the year of beginning the program
• Attend orientation event(s) scheduled the Wednesday-Friday the week prior to the start of Fall classes

Academic Regulations

Students are expected to comply with the:

• Academic regulations and policies of Indiana University, Professional Codes of Conduct of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, Components of Professional Behavior of the IU South Bend Dental Hygiene degree program, the Vera Z. Dwyer School of Health Sciences Student Policy and Procedures policy, and the Standards of Practice of the American Dental Hygienists' Association.
• Students admitted to the Dental Hygiene degree program should consult the program handbook and the clinic manual for updates and additional policies governing academic policies, procedures, and academic standing.

Background Check Considerations

According to Indiana University Policy PS-01 Programs Involving Children, all university academic appointees, staff, students, university volunteers, or other individuals who will work with children must have a criminal background check, which includes a sex offender registry check. Vera Z. Dwyer School of Health Science outlines additional requirements related to background checks of clinical students. The policy minimally requires two components: a background check at admission to the program that is compliant with Indiana University Policy PS-01 and an annual school Requirement to Disclose form.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the appropriate administrator within seven (7) business days of any changes in their status or changes in criminal history that occur after the initial criminal background check has been completed. Failure to do so may result in immediate dismissal from the program and/or receive a course failure for not being eligible to continue with learning experiences.

Licensure Considerations for Criminal History

Admission to the IU South Bend Dental Hygiene Program and completion of the degree requirements does not guarantee licensure if you have a past criminal history. It is up to the student to determine if they would like to continue the degree knowing their situation.

Indiana Code 25-1-1.1-1 explains that a license may be denied, revoked, or suspended because an individual has been convicted of an offense. If you need to respond “yes” to being convicted of a crime you must submit with your licensure application a notarized affidavit of the incident (such as the date, where it occurred, what happened, the charge and the outcome of the incident) and any court documents. Based upon your response, you may be required to make a personal appearance before the Board. Please note that an appearance before the Board may delay your license or approval for a license.

Students with a past criminal history are recommended to contact the Board of Dentistry to discuss their situation to be proactive and to prevent any surprises. The program is three years of intensive study and time commitment. It is recommended that students work to gather the required requested documentation as soon as possible to make life easier after graduation.

Academic Policies

• Students must earn a grade of C or better in all required courses for the degree, including general education courses, and maintain a semester and overall GPA of at least 2.0. 
• Students must follow the Dental Hygiene course sequence as outlined in the IU South Bend Degree Map for the Entry -Level BSDH. Failure to follow the sequence can result in delayed/denied admission to the next course sequence, including out of clinical progression status.
• If a student does not successfully complete one of the DHYG specific program courses with a grade of C or better, the student will not be eligible to continue in the clinical practice course sequence and their status will be changed to out-of-progression. Out-of-progression status will result in program dismissal until the student is approved for reinstatement. Out-of-progression students must follow the policies and procedures regarding reinstatement in order to complete the program. Out-of-progression students will work with the Dental Hygiene Program Director to develop an individualized plan for success. 
• A student will be dismissed from the program if any two clinical, didactic, radiology courses or a combination of these courses are not completed with a grade of C or better. Withdrawing from a critical course is considered an unsuccessful completion of a course attempt. There are no options for reinstatement once dismissed due to multiple course failures.

Requirements for Good Standing

To be in good standing for the program, a student must continue to meet the standards for admission and the following:

• A passing grade for each course in which the student was enrolled, with at least a cumulative 2.0 grade point average, a semester GPA of 2.0, and no grade lower than a C (2.0).
• Demonstration of acceptable progress, in the judgment of the faculty, towards the requirements for the degree.
• Demonstrate professional development.
• Demonstration of acceptable retention and translation of previously demonstrated skills, competencies, and knowledge of concepts.
• Demonstration of safe practice including all aspects of the dental hygiene process of care and infection control.
• Meet minimum standards for all related policies including IU Policy PS-01.
• Acceptable ethical and professional behavior.

Failure to Demonstrate Professional Development

Incidents which do not align with the Components of Professional Behavior as outlined by the program, including but not limited to, unsafe practice, academic misconduct and/or unprofessional behavior by a student will constitute a pattern of unprofessionalism and indicate a student’s failure to demonstrate professional growth and, therefore, could be grounds for suspension or dismissal from the entry-level clinical dental hygiene program. When deciding whether to promote to the next semester or graduate a student with a history of unprofessionalism or lack of professional development, the Director, Admission, Progression, Graduation Committee and/or School of Applied Health Council (whichever is appropriate for the situation) must discuss the student’s professional growth. The appropriate committee can make a recommendation for suspension from the program, suspension in clinical progress, or dismissal based upon a student’s failure to demonstrate professional growth as documented by Notifications of Opportunities for Improvement, Success Plans, faculty and staff feedback, and/or multiple low clinical grades in professionalism.

Requirements for the Degree

The appropriate degree is conferred by Indiana University upon candidates who have successfully completed the following requirements:

• Complied with the policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the Division of Dental Education, Vera Z. Dwyer School of Health Science, IU South Bend, and Indiana University South Bend
• Completed all required coursework and/or received documented approval for exemption or prior learning credit as appropriate, including:
• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education
• Biomedical sciences
• Social Sciences
• Major requirements (professional program requirements)
• Completed a minimum 120 semester credits
• A minimum 30 credit hours at the 300–or 400–level
• Earned a passing grade of C in all coursework
• Earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
• Successfully completed all course, laboratory, and clinical requirements
• Demonstrated minimum levels of evidence for all competencies as stated
• Completed all program portfolio assignments and requirements
• Returned all assigned equipment and supplies
• Discharged all financial obligations to the university
• Behavior and ethics consistent with acceptable professional standards
• Been recommended by the faculty of the Division of Dental Education for the degree due to meeting all stated program outcomes.

Minimum Course Grades

All courses counting towards the BSDH Entry-level program degree must be at the C minimum except for MICR-M250 Microbial Cell Biology (C-) if offered by IU South Bend during the program. If transferring in an equivalent to M250 or prior coursework the requirement for microbiology is “C”. Courses counting towards the BSDH Completion program, beyond the ASDH program, will be evaluated upon transfer in on a case-by-case basis scenario. All BSDH Completion courses completed at IUSB after the earned associate degree must be at the C minimum to count towards the degree.

Critical Course Repeats

Critical courses are courses with the prefix DHYG or DAE or (some) HSC (W314, H434, H322) on the degree plan by the program. Critical courses may only be repeated once, including withdrawing from a course. Students who do not successfully complete all required courses with a minimum grade of C by the second attempt will be permanently dismissed from the dental hygiene program. A total of 2 critical repeats maximum is permitted even if the courses being repeated are not the same number.

In addition to the general academic policies, students must meet the following requirements to be promoted through the clinical course sequences:

Student will be promoted to the DHYG-H 218 Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene preclinical course upon the successful completion of:

• CPR Certification no sooner than June 15, immediately before the first clinical Fall semester
• DHYG-H 214 Oral Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology
• DHYG-H 303 Radiology (lab must be passed at the minimum competency level to progress to DHYG-H 218 and DHYG-H 305 due to patient treatment expectations)
• DHYG-H 321 Periodontics
• HPER-N 220 Nutrition for Health
• HSC-W 314 Ethics and Health Professionals
• MICR-M 250 Microbial Cell Biology (C– or higher); OR
  an equivalent microbiology course (C or higher)

Clinical Promotion  

Critical courses listed below may only be repeated once, including withdrawing from a course. Students are permitted to fail or withdraw from no more than two critical courses. Exceeding this limit will lead to the student's dismissal from the program (i.e. failure and/or withdrawal from the same course counts as two attempts and failure and/or withdrawal from separate courses counts are two attempts). In addition to the policy and procedure outlined in the college and school level policies, students enrolled in the dental hygiene program who earned a grade of less than a C or withdrew from a course with the prefix DHYG or DAE must complete the course successfully by the second attempt. After the second unsuccessful attempt students will be permanently dismissed from the dental hygiene program.

Students will be promoted to the DHYG-H 219 Clinical Practice 1 upon successful completion of:

• DHYG-H 205 Medical and Dental Emergencies (1-2 cr.)
• DHYG-H 211 Head and Neck Anatomy (1-3 cr.)
• DHYG-H 217 Preventive Dentistry (1-3 cr.)
• DHYG-H 218 Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene 
• DHYG-H 305 Radiology Clinic
• DHYG-H 308 Dental Materials (1-3 cr.)

Students will be promoted to DHYG-H 301 Clinical Practice 2 upon successful completion of:

• DHYG-H 215 Pharmacology and Therapeutics–First Year
• DHYG-H 219 Clinical Practice 1
• DHYG-H 221 Clinical Dental Hygiene Procedures
• DHYG-H 304 Oral Pathology-2nd Year (1-3 cr.)

Students will be promoted to DHYG-H 302 Clinical Practice III upon successful completion of:

• DHYG-H 301 Clinical Practice II

Students will be promoted to DHYG-H 420 Advanced Clinical Procedures upon successful completion of:

• DHYG-H 250 Local Anesthesia and Pain Control
• DHYG-H 302 Clinical Practice 3
• DHYG-H 333 Management of the Special Needs Patient

Administrative Dismissal from the BSDH Entry-Level Program

Administrative dismissal from the program is a function of the Dental Hygiene Program faculty in consultation with the appropriate administrators with regards to due process and legality. Students will be invited to meet with the Program Director to respond to a motion for their dismissal prior to action. Dismissal may be recommended for any of the following reasons (although not limited to them):

Dismissal may be recommended for any of the following reasons (although not limited to):

• Failure to comply with the policy on attendance.
• A failing grade in any required course in which the student is enrolled.
• Failing a critical course resulting in out of progression status that does not provide a part- time option for enrollment.
• Earning a semester grade point average below 2.0.
• Academic misconduct and /or lack of acceptable professional behavior and ethics.
• Lack of acceptable progress, in the judgment of the faculty and promotions committee, toward the requirements for the degree.
• Failure to demonstrate professional growth.

Attendance Policy

As a professional program, attendance and punctuality is required at all scheduled didactic, discussion, lab, clinic, preclinic, and other course or program related sessions and events, including IPE and orientations. Tardiness and absenteeism may result in dismissal from the program due to the need to meet minimum clock hours as established by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Student Absence

It is understood that students may occasionally be absent from class or clinic for unavoidable personal reasons. Students are expected to email the appropriate course contact prior to or as early as possible to report an absence. Although a student contacts the course director/faculty, the absence may still not be considered excused. It is the responsibility of the student to coordinate missed assignments or makeup quizzes with course directors and other involved faculty in a timely fashion, if allowable. A student who is absent and fails to communicate with course directors in a timely manner regarding missed assignments is accountable for any negative outcomes based on the attendance policy of the course director.

It is recommended that the decision to excuse a student’s absence results from a conversation between the involved faculty and student in a coordinated effort across all program courses for consistency.

Faculty are not permitted to require written or specific information to excuse a student’s absence for medical/psychological reasons. Requiring a student to share private information of this type is inconsistent with patient confidentiality, FERPA, and runs counter to educating our students in the wise use of healthcare resources.

Unexcused clinic/labs cannot be made up. Missing clinic or assigned labs will jeopardize the student’s ability to meet course requirements and may result in a failing grade, failure to progress, or dismissal from the program

Assessment/ Major Project Absence Policy

Except for extenuating circumstances, students are prohibited from missing any type of summative assessment/Major Project (e.g., midterm/final exam, summative OSCE, practical/practicum, team assessment, mock board, final pre-clinical lab competency, presentation, etc.), unless in the rare situation of being excused by the Course Director in consultation with the Program Director.

Students who are or will be absent for a summative assessment must contact the involved course directors in addition to the Program Director prior to the absence, who will review and determine the nature of the absence. If approved, the student will be required to make arrangements for alternate assessment date(s).