This booklet is revised, updated and reprinted every July. The new booklet will replace and void all previous versions. The information in this booklet was accurate as of the date on the cover. However, rules, regulations, tuition, student activity fees, etc., are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, you should contact a faculty member from the Dental Hygiene Program. Advisement by non-Dental Hygiene faculty may result in misinformation and may cause lost time and/or effort.

You should contact a faculty member from the Dental Hygiene Program. The department is located at 500 Grand Concourse, on the main floor. This is also called the “B” building. The phone number is: (718) 319-7949

The following faculty and staff are available to answer your questions:

The City University of New York (CUNY) maintains an open enrollment policy. Transfer students must be formally admitted into the Clinical Phase of the Dental Hygiene Program upon acceptance into the college. Both transfer and in-house students must have their transcripts evaluated by a Dental Hygiene Faculty Advisor.

If you wish to enroll at Hostos, please contact the office of Admissions and Recruitment, Savoy Manor, 120 East 149th Street, room 210, or 500 Grand Concourse, main floor (718) 319-7900/7901.

NOTE: Acceptance into Hostos does not guarantee progression into the clinical phase of the program.

Students begin the clinical phase of the program when they progress into Den 112 -Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice I. This course is only offered in the Fall semester (September) and has a clinical/laboratory component.

In order to progress into the clinical phase of the program the student must meet the following criteria:

• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. The cumulative GPA reflects the combined GPA for all courses taken at Hostos.
• Successful completion of all prerequisites for ENG 110 - Expository writing
• Successful completion or exemption of MAT 020
• Selection Process

NOTE: The following General Education courses are strongly recommended by the dental hygiene faculty to be successfully completed prior to entry into the clinical component of the dental hygiene program.

BIO 230
BIO 240
CHE 110
CHE 120
ENG 110

Each September a new group of students are permitted to advance into the clinical phase of the program. The program utilizes a "rolling admissions policy" whereby students are accepted into the group beginning in September immediately after completing all their pre-clinical course work.

1. Students who have completed all their General Education courses by the end of the Spring semester preceding fall semester will be reviewed for admission into the clinical phase of the program(for September) depending on space availability.
    
2. If additional spaces are available, those students who have completed their General Education coursework during the Spring semester will be considered. Transcripts will be reviewed during the summer and students will be notified in July.
    
3. If additional spaces are still available, those students who complete the General Education coursework during the summer will be considered.
    
4. If at any time during the admissions process more students qualify than spaces are available, a departmental committee will review transcripts. Admission into the clinical phase of the program will be competitively evaluated based upon the student's evaluation of academic history, cumulative GPA earned and the number of science courses completed by the student.

• You may take additional courses in Science, English and Math to improve your skills in these areas.
• You may take additional courses to bring up your cumulative GPA.
• You may choose to take all the required General Education courses before progressing into the clinical phase of the program.

The Dental Hygiene Program requires dedication, maturity and time. Some students find the curriculum during the clinical phase of the program difficult, due to the large number of courses required each semester. You may choose to spend your first year at Hostos studying the English, Math and Natural Sciences courses that are required for the program.
Students who choose to take all the General Education courses decrease the number of classes required once you begin the clinical phase of the program.  This is particularly appealing to students who have met the minimum requirements for progression into the clinical phase of the program but who have been out of school for a number of years—or fear the demands of the program may be too great.  It allows you to take fewer courses each semester once you advance into the clinical phase of the program because you have already completed many of the required courses; this increases your chances for success.

Required General Education courses:

Yes. You will receive a five-week break each summer. You will also receive time off during January, the final exam period, and all the legal holidays observed by the college.

Yes.

The program is full-time, five-days-a-week. You must be available to attend classes Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m..

Hostos awards graduates of the Dental Hygiene Program an Associate in Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) degree.

No. All Dental Hygiene courses are taught in English because the National Board Examination is only offered in English.

Yes. You can attend Hostos part-time if you are only taking the General Education courses. However, once you advance into the clinical phase of the program you must enroll in all sequenced Dental Hygiene courses offered each semester. Dental Hygiene courses are assigned as a complete "block of courses."

No. Once you have been admitted into the clinical phase of the program, you must register for the entire block of sequenced and required Dental Hygiene courses each semester. During the first week of classes, the program coordinator confirms registration into the block.

Yes.

If you have successfully completed all the pre-clinical criteria and progressed into the clinical phase of the program, a faculty member from the Dental Hygiene Program will assist you in registering for the course. Please keep in mind that you must register and bursar for all the appropriate Dental Hygiene courses offered each semester. (Bursar means to pay on time)

Full or part-time employment is not recommended. Students who have attempted to work a full-time job while pursuing a degree in dental hygiene have a lower success rate. The clinical phase of the program requires many hours of intensive studying while you are also "on-the-job” several days a week. Students who do best are those who are strongly motivated and willing to devote much of their free time to studying. The Extended Three-Year Program is targeted for those students who are academically compromised by family and financial obligations.

No. The mandatory Dental Hygiene courses are only offered during specific times and you must enroll in all the courses when they are offered. You will not be able to work any daytime hours outside Hostos.

Dental Hygiene courses are offered from 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. However, an evening clinic is assigned occasionally.

Yes. Many of the General Education courses are offered in the evening.  However, once you have progressed into the clinical phase of the program, specific sections are reserved for dental hygiene students.

To receive an Associate in Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) degree from the City University of New York (CUNY), a specific portion of the course work must be completed in General Education.

Yes. Enrollment in the Dental Hygiene Program engages a substantial amount of financial investment since clinical training requires the purchase of equipment supplies material.  All students starting the Dental Hygiene curriculum will need to buy all first semester books, equipment, and material by the second week of classes.  Therefore, students beginning the program must prepare in advance to pay for these expenses. The following is a list of additional expenses. 

First Semester: All students starting the Dental Hygiene curriculum will need the money to buy all first semester books, equipment, and material by the second week of classes.  Therefore, students beginning the program must prepare in advance to pay for these expenses:

Books....................................... $550.00
Dental Hygiene Kit........................$2000.00
SADHA Dues..................................$50.00
CPR……………………………………… … … …. $65.00
Total.......................................$2,665.00

Second Semester

Books.......................................... $300.00
Total............................................$300.00

Summer Semester

Books............................. .............$300.00
Laboratory Supplies............................$50.00
Total...........................................$350.00

Third Semester

Books.......................................... $300.00
SADHA Dues.....................................$50.00
Clinic Supplies ………………....................$440.00
Medical Exams ………………..................$1000.00
Total..........................................$1,790.00

Fourth Semester

Books............................................ $350.00
*NERB State Board Exam......................$975.00
**National Board Exam …………...............$265.00
***Malpractice Insurance……................$1000.00
****SADHA Annual Conference...............$400.00
NYS Registration Requirement courses.......$250.00
School Pin...........................................$30.00
Clinic Supplies.....................................$200.00
Total............................................$2,455.00
Grand Total..................................$7,560.00

SADHA:  Student American Dental Hygienist Association
SNDHA:  Student National Dental Hygienist Association
SHDA:     Student Hispanic Dental Association
Note:  Students applying for financial aid should include these expenses.  The grand total of $7,560.00 can make a significant financial impact. 
NERB and National Board Exam fees are subject to change on an annual basis. 

*The North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners, Inc. (NERB) is an organization which develops, administers, scores and reports the results of examinations to assist licensing jurisdictions in their determination of the eligibility of candidates for dental and dental hygiene licensure.  NERB Status is achieved when a candidate has successfully met the criteria and completed both examinations in Dental Hygiene of the NERB, Inc., with a score of 75 or more of the two component clinical examinations.  The two component clinical examinations consists of one simulated patient clinical exam, which is a computer-based Computer Simulated Clinical Exam (CSCE) and one clinical exam performed on a live patient, which is the Patient Treatment Clinical Examination. 

I.    Scientific Basis for Dental Hygiene Practice
II.   Provision of Clinical Dental Hygiene Services
III. Community Health Activities
Component B includes 150 case-based items that refer to 12 to 15 dental hygiene patient cases.  These cases present information dealing with adult and child patients by means of patient histories, dental charts, radiographs, and sometimes intra and extra-oral photographs.  Each examination includes at least one case regarding patient of the following types:  Geriatric, Adult-Periodontal, Pediatric, Special Needs, and Medically Compromised.
The case-based items address knowledge and skills required in:

1. Assessing patient characteristics
2. Obtaining and interpreting radiographs
3. Planning and managing dental hygiene care
4. Performing periodontal procedures
5. Using preventive agents
6. Providing supportive treatment service

**The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination is a comprehensive examination consisting of two components of approximately 350 multiple-choice test items.  The discipline-based Component A includes 200 items addressing three major areas: 
***It is MANDATORY for Dental Hygiene Students progressing into the clinical phase to have Malpractice Insurance.
****SADHA is the student membership of the American Dental Hygiene Association that provides the student with invaluable opportunity of previewing their career as a Dental Hygienist.  After graduation you are able to convert your membership to full active status.  This membership avails you to valuable education journals such as Access Magazine and The Journal of Dental Hygiene.

As an international student you will be able to graduate but in order for you to receive your license you must be a lawful alien admitted with a “Visa Screen” or USCIS I-551” status. Please visit  www.op.nysed.gov for further updates.

Yes. Specially trained personnel are available to assist qualified students in obtaining financial aid.  For specific information about procedures and deadlines, please contact the office of Financial Aid, Savoy Manor, 120 East 149th Street, room B111 (basement), (718) 518-6555.

The level of difficulty is the same as any other comparable allied health program.  To succeed you need to be very motivated and prepared to spend the necessary amount of time studying.  How difficult a student views the program has more to do with how prepared they are when they enter the program, whether they are experiencing outside distractions, and how motivated they are.

If this is of great concern to you, you may consider taking all the General Education courses before progressing into the clinical phase of the program.

Dental Hygiene students are required to maintain a grade point average of 2.5 for each semester of the program. Failure of two (2) Dental Hygiene courses will result in immediate dismissal from the program. A student may only repeat a Dental Hygiene course once; assuring that the overall GPA is 2.0 and above. The basic criteria for grading in the Dental Hygiene Program in all Dental courses are:

Performance of “D” in ANY course required in the dental hygiene program is unsatisfactory and NOT accepted in the program. A grade of “C” is minimal accepted performance for any of the listed dental hygiene program required courses. Courses, for which a “D” grade is earned, must be repeated if the student is recommended by the faculty to remain in the program.

Yes. You will be closely supervised throughout the clinical phase of the program. Professors who are licensed and registered in the dental field teach all dental lectures, laboratory and clinical laboratory sections. You will also have a faculty advisor who would be assigned to you for any questions or problems that may arise.

Only one college-level math course is required before advancing into the clinical phase of the program.

The college provides free peer tutoring, as funds become available. In the past, the following subjects have received funding: mathematics, algebra, biology and all the radiologic science courses.

The clinical phase of the program will still take you two (2) more years of study—including one summer session.  The dental hygiene courses are not affected by the Liberal Arts courses completed.  On the positive side, you will be taking fewer courses each semester.

A copy of the curriculum appears in the Program of Study or you can download it from here (pdf format). The courses are distributed among two academic disciplines: Liberal Arts and Dental Hygiene.