Dental Hygiene - FAQs
Does the Dental Hygiene program require fingerprinting?
The dental hygiene program requires students to have been issued a level one Arizona DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card as part of the application requirements. To apply for a level one Fingerprint Clearance Card, please register on the following website: https://www.azdps.gov/services/public/fingerprint
Once a student has been admitted into a Maricopa dental hygiene program, they will also be required to complete a background check and urine drug screening. Students must provide documentation that they have successfully passed the required background check and receive a negative drug screening to be eligible to participate in the dental hygiene program.
What is the deadline for submitting an application?
There is no annual deadline for submitting your dental hygiene application. Students may submit their application to a college advisor at any point during the year once they have completed ALL of the prerequisite coursework and requirements as outlined in the dental hygiene application. When applying to the dental hygiene program, applicants will be able to apply to one, two, or all three DH programs at Phoenix College, Mesa Community College and/or Rio Salado College. Applicants will rank each program on their application in the order of their preference for attendance. Indicated program preferences are considered upon placement and admittance.
All pre-requisite coursework for the dental hygiene program is outlined within the dental hygiene application. The required chemistry prerequisite is CHM130/LL, Fundamental Chemistry; however, if you have taken CHM 138 or 230 LL prior to Fall 2019, you have fulfilled the Chemistry pre-requisite requirement for application to the dental hygiene program. All basic science pre-requisites must have be taken within the 5 year period prior to submission of the dental hygiene application. A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required for the Basic Science pre-requisites and 3.25 for the General Education pre-requisite courses. As part of the application requirements, students must also obtain a level one Arizona DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card, and complete 40 hours of observation of a dental hygienist.
The Phoenix College dental hygiene program is a full-time program for four (4) semesters, with a one (1) month winter break, and a three (3) month summer break. Dental hygiene program c are mainly face to face Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Prospective students should contact the individual schools for specifics on the times the dental hygiene coursework is taught at each institution.
The Maricopa dental hygiene programs along with Northern Arizona University (NAU) are now offering a Continuous Enrollment Program (CEP) through NAU to complete a Bachelor's of Dental Hygiene degree concurrently while completing the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in the dental hygiene program. Students also have the option to enroll in NAU's degree completion program after they have completed the dental hygiene program, and complete the 30 additional credit hours required to obtain their Bachelor's of Science in Dental Hygiene degree.
Phoenix College also offers an accredited dental assisting program, which is a two (2) semester program. For more information on the dental assisting program, please see the following web pages: https://www.phoenixcollege.edu/programs/dental-assisting
Existing dental assistants and dental hygienists are eligible to enroll in the Expanded Function Dental Assisting (EFDA) Program through our Center for Continuing Dental Education to learn how to perform expanded function dental restorative procedures. For more information on the EFDA program, please see the following web pages: https://www.phoenixcollege.edu/programs/center-continuing-dental-education/expanded-function-dental-assistant