Dental Hygiene, AAS - Partnership Agreement with Virginia Western Community College

This program is offered at Laurel Ridge Community College as a satellite site for Virginia Western Community College. The students are required to come to the Middletown Campus for the dental hygiene courses and the lecture courses are distanced to Laurel Ridge Community College. The clinical rotations are housed on the Middletown campus of Laurel Ridge Community College. Virginia Western Community College is the college that awards the degree.

Program Description/Purpose: The curriculum is designed to prepare students as primary preventive oral health professionals licensed to practice dental hygiene. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take national, regional, and state board examinations leading to licensure as a registered dental hygienist (RDH).

Accreditation Status: The program has been accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association; a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Program Notes: Individuals who have a felony or misdemeanor conviction may not be for licensure. This decision is made by the Virginia Board of Dentistry. For questions regarding this issue, call Virginia Board of Dentistry (804) 367-4538. Clinical agencies may require that students have periodic background checks and drug screenings completed at the student’s expense before beginning enrichment rotations. This program requires a clear background and drug test prior to admission.

Admission Requirements: Applicants must meet the general admission requirements for admission to both VWCC and Laurel Ridge Community College. For application materials and additional program information, please see the Health Technology website at: https://www.virginiawestern.edu/academics/health-professions/dental-hygiene/.

When enrollments must be limited for any curriculum (because the number of applicants exceeds the available space), priority will be given to qualified applicants who are residents of the Laurel Ridge Community College service region as designated by the Virginia Community College System. This includes Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and the city of Winchester.

Retention Requirement: Satisfactory progress is demonstrated by achieving a grade of “C” or better in required Dental Hygiene and Biology courses. Students must satisfactorily complete BIO 150  with a grade of “C” or above before progressing to the second year of the program. Because curricular components build upon each other over the five semesters, students must complete required Dental Hygiene courses in sequence.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate proper infection control before during and after patient treatment.
2. Students will expose a diagnostic set of bitewing radiographs.
3. Students will verbalize the classification, method of action, and dental considerations for the most commonly used medications.

Student Responsibilities After Acceptance into The Program:

1. Admission is contingent upon a satisfactory medical examination indicating good general health. The medical examination must include evidence of a PPD skin test (or chest x-ray and serology for the Hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody). The Heptavax vaccine is required. All documentation must be submitted to the head of the Dental Hygiene Program no later than August 1 for the student to continue in the program.
2. Current certification in health care provider cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required for both years of the program. No substitutions are accepted. Students are responsible for providing their own malpractice insurance coverage during the two years of the program. Insurance is available for purchase after admission to the program. This insurance is nonrefundable. All documentation must be submitted to the head of the Dental Hygiene Program no later than August 1 for the student to continue in the program.
3. All students admitted to the Dental Hygiene Program must attend dental hygiene orientation, register for all classes, and pay their tuition prior to August 1. All students are required to purchase the instrument and supply kit, pay a lab usage fee, and are expected to order uniforms at orientation. If a student withdraws from the program, the kit is nonrefundable.
4. Students admitted to the program with academic contingencies in biology, chemistry or algebra must provide documentation of satisfactory completion of the contingency prior to the beginning of fall classes. Failure to meet a stated contingency will result in admission being rescinded.
5. All students admitted to the program without prior experience in the dental field (chair-side dental assisting) are required to observe dental and dental hygiene procedures in the dental office of their choice. The observation experience must be completed by August 1. Assistance in locating practitioners willing to provide observation experience may be provided by the Dental Hygiene Program upon admission.
6. Students in the program are responsible for transportation to and from agencies utilized for clinical and community health rotation experiences.
7. Acceptance into the Program is contingent upon a satisfactory annual criminal background check and annual negative drug screening test. Satisfactory completion of this is required for license eligibility. Costs of the background check and drug screening test are the responsibility of the students.
8. Consideration will be given to qualified Laurel Ridge Community College applicants from the Laurel Ridge Community College service region for admission into the Virginia Western - Laurel Ridge Community College dental hygiene program.

NOTE: Support courses (non-DNH courses) may be taken prior to entry.

BIO 141 , BIO 142 , and BIO 150  must be repeated if they were completed more than five (5) years prior to the date of admission into the program.

Courses are displayed under the semester in which they are regularly offered and are recommended to be taken in this sequence to ensure timely graduation. It is possible that a course shown in a particular semester may not be offered due to low enrollment or other factors.