Surveys

If you are an alumni of the RC Dental Hygiene program, please take a moment to fill out the short survey by clicking the alumni survey link below.

If you are an employer who employs a graduate of our program, please click the "employer survey" link below and complete that short survey. These surveys are extremely valuable for program assessment. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Program overview

Degree conferred: Associate in Applied Science – 81 credits
Limited transferability
Program contact: Dental Hygiene program office, (815) 921-3235

Graduates of this program have acquired skills to provide care that supports optimal oral health, including educational, clinical, and therapeutic services. Skills are mastered through classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences to provide well-rounded career preparation.

Work and employment

A career in dental hygiene offers opportunities in multiple settings. Hygienists are part of a dental health team, working under the direction of a licensed dentist. Dental hygienists can work in private dental offices, where they perform many critical services that detect, prevent, and treat diseases. They also work in hospitals or nursing homes, extended care facilities, schools, correctional facilities, health maintenance organizations, and other settings, including higher education institutions where they serve as faculty members.

Professional credential and program accreditation

Graduates are eligible to take board exams that lead to state licensure. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) under the auspices of the American Dental Association (ADA).

Admission to the program

Admission is selective and competitive. Prerequisite course work in chemistry, biology, and mathematics is required. Application to the program involves advance planning to ensure the right prerequisites are taken. The Dental Hygiene program holds information sessions that cover prerequisites and other important information. Attendance of a session is required to receive an application packet for the program. For details on information sessions, call the Dental Hygiene program office at (815) 921-3235.

Dental Hygiene admission policies

Admission to the Dental Hygiene program is by one of two categories, high school graduate or college transfer student. The high school graduate criteria are for applicants who have completed all of the program’s prerequisite courses while in high school and who have not taken any other college course work prior to applying for the program. The college transfer criteria are for applicants who have taken college-level coursework since graduating high school. Applicants are reviewed for admission based on the following criteria:
1.    High school graduate criteria:
a.    Graduation from a recognized high school with a grade average of 2.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale).
b.    ACT requirement: Students requesting application to the program with no previous college credits (less than 15 credit hours) must submit ACT scores. A minimum composite score of 19 on the ACT is required for review of the application.
c.    The following college-level prerequisites must be completed no later than the end of the summer semester prior to starting the program in the fall: BIO 281, CHM 120 or CHM 110 and CHM 210, ENG 101 and ENG 103.

2.    College transfer student criteria:
a.    Post-secondary credit hours: Completion of 15 semester hours of college credit with a college grade point average of 2.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale).
b.    Prerequisite course GPA: Completion of eight semester hours of college credit in biology with a grade point average of 2.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale). Approved courses in biology include: Biology 281, Biology 282, and Biology 274 or an equivalent course as approved by Rock Valley College.

3.    Chemistry requirement: CHM 120 or CHM 110 and CHM 210 at Rock Valley College, or its equivalent, with at least a minimum grade of “C.”

4.    Math requirement: Completion of one year of high school algebra with at least a minimum grade of “C” or completion of Math 092 or as required to meet CHM prerequisite at Rock Valley College, or its equivalent, with at least a minimum grade of “C.”

5.    English requirement: English 101 at Rock Valley College, or its equivalent with at least a minimum grade of “C.”

6.    Placement scores: Completion of the Rock Valley College placement tests in math, English, and reading with satisfactory scores.

7.    Dental Hygiene observation: Observation of a dental hygienist, in a dental office for four hours. Documentation should by on official professional letterhead stationary and mailed directly to the Dental Hygiene Program from the dentist office. In addition, you will also be required to spend 4 consecutive hours observing in the RVC Dental Hygiene Clinic.

8.    Dental Hygiene information session: Applicants must attend an information session on the Dental Hygiene program, one hour in length within 18 months of the February 15th deadline for applying for admission. This session is by appointment only and must be completed prior to the application deadline for the term of admission.

Contact the Dental Hygiene program office, (815) 921-3235, to attend an information session or schedule an RVC observation.

Dental Hygiene admission process

Application requirements
Admission to the Dental Hygiene program requires that applicants submit the following:
1.    Official application for admission to Rock Valley College.

2.    Official application for Allied Health Careers, Dental Hygiene.

3.    High school transcripts or GED scores.

4.    Official transcripts from colleges attended other than RVC.

5.    Official ACT scores. (High school graduate criteria only)

6.    Documentation of dental hygiene observation submitted on official letterhead.

All documentation, transcripts, dental hygiene observation, and test scores must be mailed directly to the college from the official agency or college.

Admission procedure

The following policies will be followed in reviewing all applicants for admission to the Dental Hygiene program.
1.    A completed application and other required documents must be submitted to the Dental Hygiene program office on or before February 15 in order for an applicant to be considered for the next fall term. The Dental Hygiene office will stamp all application materials with the date of receipt. Only completed applications are reviewed for admission. Students are notified of admission within 10 weeks of the admission deadline.

2.    The Dental Hygiene Standards Committee reviews all applications where the applicant meets admission requirements. Selection for admission to the Dental Hygiene program is competitive and is based upon the Criteria for Admission to the Dental Hygiene program. Admission criteria are weighted with preference given to the following:
a.    ACT score of 21 or above. (High school graduate criteria only)
b.    Grade point average of 3.0 or above in biology courses.
c.    Grade of “B” or higher in English 101 and CM 110/210.
d.    Number of courses completed in the general education requirements for the program including Speech 131, Psychology 170, Sociology 190, and English 103.

3.    All courses required for the Dental Hygiene program must be completed with a grade of “AC” or better to be admitted to the program. Course requirements in the sciences will only be accepted for meeting program requirements if completed within five years of the first term of enrollment in the Dental Hygiene program.

4.    Cooperative Community Colleges: Qualified applicants who are residents in a district with a cooperative agreement with Rock Valley College are admitted to the program. Admission slots for the cooperating institutions are determined by a review of open dental hygiene positions in the northern Illinois region.

5.    Re-application: Applicants reviewed and not admitted to the program for one starting class are responsible for reactivating and updating their application file for subsequent starting classes. Only an applicant who returns a signed Letter of Intent form will be considered for admission in the following year.

6.    Advance placement: Students requesting admission as an advance placement will be considered for admission as space is available in the program. Advance placement students are reviewed on the basis of the following criteria:
a.    The American Dental Association Commission on Accreditation accredits the previous program attended.
b.    The student GA in all dental hygiene courses previously completed is 3.0 or better.
c.    Previous enrollment is not more than three years from the date of anticipated enrollment in the Rock Valley College Dental Hygiene program.
d.    Course work received in transfer is evaluated as equivalent to Rock Valley College Dental Hygiene courses. Validation of previous didactic and clinical course work may be required.

Standard for progression in the program

Students are required to earn at least a minimum grade of “C” in each course in the Dental Hygiene program of study.

Failure to do so will prevent a student from taking later courses in the program or from graduating.


Dental Hygiene Course Requirements:                                             (54 credits)
*    DNT    102    Preventive Dental Hygiene                                            (1)
*    DNT    104    Dental Anatomy, Histology and Embryology                     (3)
*    DNT    106    Head and Neck Anatomy                                              (3)
*    DNT    108    Pre-Clinical  Dental Hygiene                                           (4)
*    DNT    110    Nutrition and Biochemistry                                            (2)
*    DNT    112    Clinical Dental Hygiene I                                                (2)
*    DNT    113    Dental Hygiene Theory I                                               (2)
*    DNT    114    General and Oral Pathology                                           (3)
*    DNT    116    Dental Radiology                                                          (3)
*    DNT    118    Pharmacology                                                              (2)
*    DNT    120    Introduction to Periodontal I                                         (2)
*    DNT    210    Dental Materials                                                           (3)
*    DNT    212    Clinical Interim                                                             (2)
*    DNT    213    Introduction to Dental Hygiene Research                        (1)
*    DNT    214    Periodontal II                                                              (2)
*    DNT    215    Pain Management in Dental Hygiene Practice                    (3)
*    DNT    216    Clinical Dental Hygiene II                                                (4)
*    DNT    217    Dental Hygiene Theory II                                               (1)
*    DNT    218    Dental Ethics, Jurisprudence and Practice Management      (2)
*    DNT    220    Community Dental Health                                              (3)
*    DNT    224    Clinical Dental Hygiene III                                               (4)
*    DNT    225    Dental Hygiene Theory III                                              (2)

General Education Course Requirements:                                         (27 credits)
*    BIO     281    Human Anatomy and Physiology I                                  (4)
*    ENG    103    Composition II                                                             (3)
*    BIO     282    Human Anatomy and Physiology II                                 (4)
*    BIO     274    Microbiology                                                               (4)
*    SPH    131     Fundamentals of Communication                                   (3)
*    SOC    190     Introduction to Sociology                                            (3)
*    PSY    170     General Psychology                                                     (3)
Electives: Select 3 credits from Humanities.

*Course has a prerequisite--refer to course description.
Cooperative community colleges are Blackhead Technical College, Elgin Community College, Kissable College, Highland Community College, Illinois Valley Community College, Mother County College and Auk Valley Community College.