Dental Hygiene Program Frequently Asked Questions

No, there is currently no interview required to be accepted into the Program.

Yes. Dental Hygiene is a bachelor of science degree-seeking program.

To be admitted to TMCC as a degree-seeking student, students must be a graduate of a high school or its equivalent (certificate of attendance is not equivalent to high school graduation) or be a qualified international student.

For students who wish to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program who have completed online lab courses, a COVID-19 exception time period is available for the following courses and semesters:

• Online labs in BIOL 223, BIOL 224, BIOL 251, or Chem 220 taken in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, or Spring 2021 will be accepted. Online labs for these courses from semesters prior to Spring 2020 or after Spring 2021 will NOT be accepted.
• BIOL 223, BIOL 224, and BIOL 251 must be taken for credit (not S/U) and can only be taken twice within a five-year period unless taken during the COVID exception period. BIOL 223, BIOL 224, or BIOL 251 taken in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, or Spring 2021 do NOT count towards the two attempts per course in five years.

For further information, please contact Academic Advising.

Accepted students can apply for financial aid and scholarships in the TMCC Financial Aid Office. Additionally, there is information on many other scholarship opportunities that the program faculty distribute each year.

Applications are posted on our website in January each year, and are due within 5 weeks of the posting date. For assistance completing the application, you can attend the Dental Hygiene Application Workshop in January, after the application becomes available.

• See Steps to Apply

A minimum of 100 admission points are required to apply. Admissions points will vary each year for the pool of applicants. There can be an average range of 20-30 points between the highest and lowest accepted applicant.

Each year will vary in the number of applications received. It generally ranges between 20 and 40. Upon review of applicants for eligibility, approximately 60% will be eligible to advance to the selection committee.

• See Also: Outcome Data

Programs costs are subject to change, annually. The current two-year cost to the student is approximately $30,000. This includes most fees, textbooks, uniforms, and instruments. Miscellaneous costs cannot be estimated.

Note: The TMCC Dental Hygiene Program operates on a differential tuition model. Dental Hygiene students pay an additional $88.25 per dental hygiene credit. The approximate cost reflects this tuition model.

The selection committee completes their review of eligible applicants and selects the incoming class in May. The accepted student is notified via email in early May.

Most questions for interested persons can be answered by reviewing the information throughout this website and/or meeting with an academic advisor.

Additionally, information sessions are held during the Fall and Spring Semesters. Dates and locations are posted on our website.

You will need to have official transcripts from each college or university attended sent directly to Admissions and Records.

Complete a Credit Evaluation request in order to have your transcripts officially evaluated.

Then meet with an academic advisor to review your transfer coursework.

A student who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor may apply to TMCC's Dental Hygiene Program, but the Nevada Dental Practice Act (NRS631.290) requires that candidates for licensure be of good moral character and be citizens of the U.S. or lawfully entitled to remain and work in the U.S.

Prospective students are advised that if they have a felony or misdemeanor convictions or have a history of substance abuse that this may preclude subsequent licensure as a dental hygienist in Nevada (NAC 631.050).

Yes, but you must be enrolled in the program core science course during the Spring Semester of the year applying, and complete the course with a GPA of 2.75 and a grade of C or higher during that Spring Semester.

Any program core prerequisites that are not completed by the end of the Spring Semester of the applying year render the application ineligible.

You must also have a minimum of 100 Admission Points without the program core requirement course that you are enrolled in.

• See Steps to Apply

It is highly recommended that all general education and college requirements be completed prior to applying to TMCC's Dental Hygiene Program. Additionally, completion of general education and college requirements increases your Admission Points.

During the four semester Dental Hygiene program, students take 16-18 credits per semester. If any general education or college requirements need to be completed, it is recommended the courses are taken during the Summer or Winter Sessions prior to completion of the program.

All general education and college requirements must be completed to graduate.

Yes. Accepted students must attend a mandatory orientation session prior to the start of the semester of entry into the program. Students will be notified of the date, time and location of the session.

All faculty and students are considered to be Category 1 (per OSHA), when seeing patients in the clinic or handling contaminated materials. All Category 1 persons are at occupational risk for acquiring infectious diseases such as HIV, HBV, HBC while performing clinical duties.

Exposure due to spray, splatter, aerosols, and the handling of contaminated sharp instruments and needles increases the risk of injury and exposure to bloodborne diseases via percutaneous exposure. The risk to exposure is significantly reduced when following all safety guidelines set forth by the CDC and OSHA. All faculty and staff will adhere to these guidelines.

The TMCC DH Program follows OSHA/CDC and Nevada State Board of Examiners guidelines reducing the risk of infectious diseases during cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing equipment and work spaces including wearing personal protective equipment during treatment procedures.

Standard Precautions: the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status of the patient, in any setting where health care is delivered. These practices are designed to both protect DHCP (Dental Health Care Professional) and prevent DHCP from spreading infections among patients.

Standard Precautions include:

• Hand hygiene
• Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, masks, face shields, eyewear)
• Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette
• Elimination/reduction of aerosol-producing equipment
• High-volume evacuation systems
• Safe injection practices (i.e., aseptic technique for parenteral medications)
• Sharps safety (engineering and work practice controls)
• Ultrasonic cleaners
• Heat (steam under pressure) sterilizers
• Chemical disinfectants
• Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces
• Sterile instruments and devices

Admission Points are applied to specific categories for prospective Dental Hygiene Program candidates. The points are used to rank eligible applicants for admittance. Admission points and procedures are reviewed annually and are subject to change; prospective applicants are responsible for obtaining the most current information.

Please visit TMCC's Testing Services for complete information about Dental Hygiene's three-part pre-admission exam, including scoring, cost and how to register.

All Dental Hygiene Program classes and clinic sessions are located at TMCC's Dandini Campus. TMCC also has a fully-functioning Dental Clinic at the Dandini Campus.