Dental Hygiene General Info Session Workshop

This workshop provides an overview of the program and is a good resource for anyone starting their prerequisites or close to completing coursework and interested in applying for the upcoming Fall cohort.

These 1-hour workshops are designed to provide an overview of the Dental Hygiene Program, what is required, the application process, and more. 

Click on the RSVP form next to the workshop date to sign up. The Zoom link will be automatically emailed to you once the Zoom RSVP form is submitted. 

Whether you are beginning your prerequisites or planning to apply for the next cohort, this workshop is for you!

October

Tuesday, 10/29 @ 2pm (via Zoom) - complete RSVP form for link

November

Tuesday, 11/12 @ 6pm (via Zoom) - complete RSVP form for link

December

Tuesday, 12/10 @ 6pm (via Zoom) - complete RSVP form for link

Dental Hygiene Application Clinic Workshop

This is designed for students who have completed their prerequisites and will be applying for the upcoming Fall cohort. This workshop discusses the application process, required documentation, and provides an opportunity for Q&A.

Dental Hygiene Application Clinic Workshops have now ended. We will resume workshops in December 2024 for the Fall 2025 Dental Hygiene Application.

To be eligible for admission to the OC Dental Hygiene Program, a student must be a qualified candidate; meaning the applicant must meet or exceed all program requirements.  Applicants should meet with a counselor for any questions regarding required coursework in order to avoid unfortunate surprises that may result in disqualification at the time of application.

GPA

Students must have (both at the time of application and at the end of Spring prior to start of DH program) the following minimum GPA:

• 3.0 cumulative college GPA
• 3.0 cumulative GPA in the biomedical science courses

Required Coursework:

General Education Requirement: General Education may be in progress at the time of application but must be completed by the end of Spring before starting the OC Dental Hygiene program.

Prerequisite Courses: All courses must be completed at the time of application with the exceptions of the following, which may be in progress during Spring prior to start of DH program:

• One biomedical science course
• DH R001
• COMM R102 [may be in progress in the spring and summer for the fall 2025 application only]

RDH Observation:

Applicants must observe at least one Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) that has an active license in the state of California for at least 10 hours. The observation must include scaling and root planing on a periodontally involved patient and prophylaxis. Previous applicants can resubmit a previous Observation Log.

HS Diploma or Equivalency

Students must have earned a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent at the time of application.

Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification

The BLS Certification is required at the time of application and must be kept current throughout the two-year program. This must be completed with a live in-person skills component via American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC). The BLS course includes instruction in adult and pediatric CPR, including 2-rescuer scenarios; airway obstruction and relief of choking for adult, child, and infant; AED use; and a live, in-person skills practice session, a skills test, and a written examination.

OC DH General Education Requirement

Students must have one of the following general education patterns completed by the end of Spring before starting the OC Dental Hygiene program:

OC DH Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisites must be completed at the time of application with the exception of one biomedical science requirement and DH R001 (which may be in progress during spring before admission to the OC Dental Hygiene program).

*Students completing the Ethnic Studies or Critical Thinking prerequisite at a non-California Community College should consult an OC Dental Hygiene Counselor for review and approval.
 

Biomedical Science Courses

The required biomedical science courses (anatomy, physiology, chemistry, organic/bio-chemistry, and microbiology) must have labs. These can either be completed by traditional, in-person wet labs at the college or online using a physical lab kit that allows the student to conduct physical experiments in conjunction with an online synchronous meeting system with faculty oversight and teaching. The required biomedical science courses have a five-year recency requirement.

AP Exams

Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Score Exemption may be accepted in lieu of English Composition and Statistics prerequisites.

Program Recommendation

• BIS R122 Microsoft Office
• Spanish Course if no basic verbal skills in Spanish: SPAN R210 or SPAN R220 or SPAN R220 H or SPAN R230 or SPAN R230H

Students interested in entering the Oxnard College Dental Hygiene Program must apply in the Spring term for admission to the following Fall term. Completed applications must be submitted in hard-copy format and will be accepted from January 1st to March 15th. For 2025 only, the deadline has be extended to March 21st. 

Below is a checklist of all the necessary documentation that must be submitted in a complete application packet. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. All complete application packets must be delivered to the Dental Hygiene Department by the deadline, no exceptions.

Oxnard College Admission Application

If you are not already a VCCCD student, you must submit the free Oxnard College Admission Application online to have a Student ID number (900_ _ _ _ _ _ ) assigned to you. The student ID number is required on the OC Dental Hygiene Application. 

Dental Hygiene Application:

This application and its contents cannot be submitted online. Fall 2025 applications will be available in the Fall of 2024.

Observation Log:

The applicant must observe at least one Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) that has an active license in the state of California for at least 10 hours. The applicant must observe the following two procedures: Scaling and root planing on a periodontally involved patient and Prophylaxis. The applicant may complete the hours over a span of a few days and/or may observe multiple RDHs. Previous applicants can resubmit a previous Observation Log. Please keep a copy for your records. 

Proof of High School diploma (or the recognized equivalent):

Unofficial or official document is acceptable.

Official College/University Transcripts:

Hard copy sealed official transcripts from ALL colleges/universities EVER attended. No electronic transcripts accepted.

Evaluated Foreign Transcripts (if applicable):

Hard copy of a course-by-course foreign transcript evaluation completed by one of the approved agencies that includes course titles in English, the U.S. semester equivalency, and the grades earned.

Official Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Score Report (if applicable):

Official College Board AP score report if being used to satisfy the Written Communication and/or Mathematics prerequisites. An unofficial copy is acceptable only if the official is on file with the Oxnard College Admissions & Records Office.

BLS Certification:

Copy of current Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification card from American Heart Association or American Red Cross with a live in-person skills component.

The Oxnard College Dental Hygiene Program utilizes a lottery-type selection process. Upon verification of program admission requirements, all qualified candidates will be included in a selection pool.

A random selection process will be initiated to select the dental hygiene candidates. Alternates will also be selected using the same method, and alternates will be used in the event of any resigning candidates. The alternates will be notified as soon as we are aware of the openings.

Applicant Selection is based on the following criteria:

1. Completion of all prerequisites by the application deadline*
2. A 3.0 or better cumulative college GPA
3. A 3.0 or better GPA in all college science prerequisites
4. Five-year recency requirement for all science related courses
5. High School Diploma or equivalent
6. Current CPR card

*One science course may be in progress at the time of application (separate sections of correlating lecture and laboratory classes are considered one class). DH R001 in the spring may also be in progress. COMM R102 may be in progress in the spring or summer for the 2025 application only. 

Students must have a 3.0 or better cumulative college grade point average (GPA) and a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA in prerequisite science courses in order to apply to the program. All prerequisite science courses must be completed within the last 5 years.

Lottery Selection

Upon verification of program selection criteria, all qualified candidates will be included in a selection pool. A prioritized lottery selection process is utilized to select entering students and alternates.

Students who take 32 units of prerequisites, with 14 units in science prerequisites at Oxnard College, are in the first pool.

Candidates who take 32 units of prerequisites, with 14 units in science prerequisites at any of the VCCCD colleges and/or SBCC, are included in the second pool along with the first pool candidates.

The remaining applicants are in the final pool along with the 1st and 2nd pool candidates. 

After an initial 40 are drawn, interviews will be conducted, and 20 students will be selected for admission. The remaining applicants are placed on an alternate list to fill any available spaces should an admitted student decline a place in the program. Only 20 students are admitted each year. There is no wait list. Students not selected must reapply each year.

Standard student expenses (textbooks, in-state tuition, college fees, etc.) for California residents are estimated to be about $17,000 in the first semester and $6,000 in the second semester for resident students. For non-resident students it is estimated to be $29,000 in the first semester and $18,000 in the second semester. 

The additional costs are associated with instruments, equipment, uniforms, fees for licensing examinations, professional dues and course expenses.

The VCCCD has adopted the state-mandated enrollment fee of $130 per unit for a resident student in a baccalaureate program. The link provided below will direct you to the fees and prices of enrollment for both resident students and non-resident students. 

Other fees, such as parking fees, student health fees, and student representation fees remain in force. All fees are subject to change without notice. For more information click here on the link provided below.

  http://www.oxnardcollege.edu/departments/administrative/business_svcs/fees.shtml