Associate of Science – Dental Hygienist Degree

The philosophy of the dental hygiene program is to provide a comprehensive, quality education in the classroom, clinic, and community.

Program Goals

Goal 1 – Provide comprehensive dental hygiene education and training to meet community workforce needs.

• Encourage professionalism and ethics in all endeavors.
• Develop communication.
• Develop motor skills to provide efficient and safe patient care.
• Provide didactic training to create a knowledgeable graduate.
• Introduce students to volunteer-based community services.

Goal 2 – Provide opportunities for students and graduates to advance technical training and research opportunities.

• Pursue articulation agreements with institutions of higher learning.
• Recognize diverse career pathways for dental hygienists.
• Promote lifelong learning among students and graduates.
• Develop evidence-based research skills through community service projects.

Goal 3 – Maximize student retention and program completion rates by maintaining the quality of healthcare graduates.

• Recognize program candidates best suited for success in the program.
• Provide advisement for student improvement.
• Review and evaluate student pass rates on the National Board and Regional Board (CRDTS).
• Monitor job placement rates

Goal 4 – Seek ongoing capacity development and quality improvement for the dental hygiene program.

• Acquire and maintain equipment to provide learning opportunities in all aspects of dental hygiene care.
• Participate in continuing education to maintain properly educated faculty and staff.
• Manage an institutional effectiveness model including assessment, evaluation and planning for continuous improvement of the dental hygiene program.

The program is very time intensive. The program schedule will be similar to a full-time job and will include both didactic courses and clinical requirements. There will also be outside school requirements that may occur after hours or on weekends. The student is expected to have a flexible schedule in order to meet these requirements.

A student planning to gain entry into one of the Allied Health competitive admissions programs at Lanier Technical College can meet that goal by first enrolling in the Associate of Applied Science Interdisciplinary Studies degree. This degree includes all the core courses required to gain admission into the following programs: Dental Hygiene, Associate of Science in Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Health Information Management Technology, Surgical Technology, and Physical Therapy Assistant. Enrollment in the AIS degree allows the student to customize their core courses to meet the requirements to gain entry into their field of choice, but since admission is competitive, it provides additional opportunities to those who do not initially meet the criteria. Once the student gains admission into the desired program, their major will be changed accordingly. Details concerning the AIS degree can found viewed at: Interdisciplinary Studies Degree

See Pre-Dental Hygiene Core Course Sequence in the Catalog under the Graduation Plan section.

See Dental Hygiene Degree Program in the Catalog under the Graduation Plan section.

The core classes can be taken at other institutions and transferred to Lanier Technical College. If the course title is not identical the student should not assume that the course will transfer. If there are any questions concerning the transfer of courses to LTC the Registrar should be contacted at registrar@laniertech.edu.

The deadline to submit the application information is May 15th or the following Monday if May 15th occurs on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Completed applications should be delivered to the Dental Hygiene Administrative Assistant.

• Completed Dental Hygiene Program Application
• Copy of TEAS score (include a copy for every time the test has been attempted)
• Verification of attendance for pre-program orientation session

• The 15 students accepted into the Dental Hygiene Degree program will be required to obtain CPR certification. Arrangements will be made during the summer semester prior to program entry for the new cohort of 15 students to receive CPR certification.
• Proof of current immunizations will need to be provided.
• Program applicants should be aware of the Bloodborne Pathogens / Infectious Diseases Policy in relation to patient care.
• A dental hygienist must receive a license issued by the Georgia Board of Dentistry to practice in the state of Georgia.
• Dental hygienists rank among the fastest growing occupations.
• To apply for a dental hygiene license in Georgia the dental hygienist must have a degree from an accredited dental hygiene school, have passed the jurisprudence examination for the state of Georgia, have passed the National Dental Hygiene Examination, and have passed the Central Regional Dental Testing Services (CRDTS) Examination.
• Although background checks are not required by the Lanier Technical College Dental Hygiene Program, individuals should be aware that the Georgia Board of Dentistry requires the following information for dental hygiene licensure:
  Have you ever been summoned, arrested, taken into custody, indicted, convicted or tried for, or charged with, or pled guilty to, or pled nolo contender to a violation of any law or ordinance or the commission of any felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations), (DWI &DUIs’ are not minor traffic violations), or have you been requested to appear before a prosecuting attorney or investigative agency in any matter?(Although a conviction may have been expunged from the records by order of court, it nevertheless must be disclosed in your answer to this question). If yes, for each occurrence furnish a written statement giving the complete facts in your own words, including in such statement the date, name and nature of the offense, the name and locality of the court, and the disposition of each such matter. You must attach the court disposition.