Bachelor's Degree in Dental Hygiene
Admission Requirements
- Completed University of Bridgeport application
- Fones School of Dental Hygiene Supplemental Application
- Cumulative G.P.A of 2.5 or higher
- Successful completion of required pre-requisites within 7 years with a C or better: English Composition, Intermediate Algebra, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2
- Transcripts from any colleges/universities attended
- Proof of high school completion or its equivalent
- Personal Statement
- 2 Recommender Forms
Bachelor’s Dental Hygiene Classes
Total Semester Hours: 123
Admission Requirements
| BIOL 113 | Anatomy and Physiology I w/lab | 4 |
| BIOL 114 | Anatomy and Physiology II w/lab | 4 |
| CHEM 113 | Introductory Chemistry w/lab | 4 |
| MATH 103 | Intermediate Algebra | 3 |
| ENGL C101 | Composition & Rhetoric | 3 |
Program Requirements
| DHYG 100 | Introduction to Dental Hygiene (pre-DHYG) | 1 |
| DHYG 123 | Oral Anatomy and Embryology | 4 |
| DHYG 124 | Radiology | 3 |
| DHYG 127 | Pharmacology for the Dental Hygienist | 3 |
| DHYG 129 | Clinical Practice I | 4 |
| DHYG 130 | Clinical Practice II | 4 |
| DHYG 140 | Introduction to Periodontology | 2 |
| DHYG 227 | Clinical Practice III | 5.5 |
| DHYG 230 | Local Anesthesia | 1.5 |
| DHYG 228 | Clinical Practice IV | 5 |
| DHYG 232 | Dental Public Health | 4 |
| DHYG 233 | General and Oral Histo-Pathology | 3 |
| DHYG 241 | Periodontology | 2 |
| DHYG 250 | Dental Materials | 3 |
| DHYG 301 | Dental Hygiene Practice Management | 3 |
| DHYG 302 | Instructional Strategies for the Health Professional | 3 |
| DHYG 303 | Advanced Clinical Concepts | 3 |
| DHYG 304 | Dental Hygiene Internship | 3 |
| DHYG 305 | Dental Hygiene Research I | 3 |
| DHYG 306 | Dental Hygiene Research II | 4 |
| DHYG 315 | Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| DHYG 204 | Nutritional Biochemistry | 3 |
| HUSV 201 | Introduction to Counseling OR | |
| MKTG 205 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Total Hours Program Requirements | 73 | |
Internships
In completing the Bachelor’s Degree, students enroll in DHYG 302 Instructional Strategies for the Health Professional and DHYG 304 Dental Hygiene Internship. These two courses prepare the student for and lead them into an internship experience in education or community locations. These two courses create opportunities for innovative experiences while being mentored for practical experience beyond clinical practice.
The internship allows you to apply your studies in a professional setting that aligns best with your goals. Under the guidance of the course instructor, you will select a field site in an alternative practice setting (not private practice). With the help of the site’s primary mentor, you will set goals and objectives that allow you to become an integral member of the organization and provide you with 50 hours of direct observation, participation, and supervised teaching or fieldwork.
Areas of focus
- Student teaching in dental hygiene and dental assisting programs
- Community and hospital health clinics
- Dental product companies
- Local health departments
- Dental research companies
Internship affiliations include the following student teaching/internship locations
- Fones School of Dental Hygiene
- Stratford, CT Health Department
- Porter and Chester Institute, CT
- Norwalk Hospital Dental Clinic, Norwalk, CT
- Community Health Centers, CT
- Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ
- North Hampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
- Centrix Dental, Inc., Shelton, CT
- Open Door Family Medical Center, Ossining, NY
Service Learning
The community service component of the Fones School of Dental Hygiene is renowned among dental hygiene programs. Its purpose is to continue the community outreach philosophy of Dr. Alfred C. Fones, applying the theories and concepts of public health when providing oral health care to community populations.
The Fones students and faculty provide oral health education, screenings, preventive services, and referrals to more than 9,000 people annually in Southwestern Connecticut and adjacent regions. The Fones School of Dental Hygiene is an important health delivery resource in the Greater Bridgeport area and is highly regarded in Connecticut as well as nationally.
Dental and dental hygiene professionals recognize the name of the Fones School as standing for excellence in the education it provides to future dental hygienists and, most notably, for its outreach and public health services, which are considered innovative and models for other dental hygiene schools across the country.
These services are provided by students enrolled full-time in the accredited educational program leading to an Associate’s Degree in Dental Hygiene and are supervised by Connecticut-licensed dental hygienists.
Community Outreach Sites
Clinical Treatment Services
- Fones Dental Hygiene Health Center
- Integrative Clinic in UB Clinics
- Yale-New Haven Hospital Hamden Dental Center
- Norwalk Hospital Dental Clinic
- Southwest Community Health Center
- Jettie S. Tisdale Elementary School
Community education
- Public/private K-12 school children
- Head Start/Day Care/Nursery School children
- Pregnant adolescents
- Mentally, physically and/or emotionally challenged populations
- Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers
- Homeless shelters
- Nursing homes
- Senior centers
- Adult Day Care centers
