Academic Advising

Pre-Dental Hygiene

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Program Information

The curriculum in pre-dental hygiene offered by the College of Humanities and Sciences meets the minimum academic requirements for application to many professional programs, including the bachelor of science degree program in dental hygiene offered by the School of Dentistry on the MCV Campus. Students intending to apply to the junior- and senior-year professional program at another institution should consult that institution's bulletin for specific prerequisites.

Admission to and satisfactory completion of the two-year preparatory program offered by the College of Humanities and Sciences does not constitute admission to the junior- and senior-year professional program on the MCV Campus. In the fall of the year preceding the year of desired admission, the student must apply separately to the professional program through the MCV Campus Undergraduate Admissions, Sanger Hall, 1101 E. Marshall St.

Admission into the program is based on scholastic record, demonstrated aptitude and interest and a personal interview conducted by the departmental admissions committee.

Contact the College of Humanities and Sciences Office of Academic Advising (804) 828-2333 for more information.

Advising Information

Admissions requirements

Prerequisite course work for those entering VCU before fall 2007

Fine motor skill/manual dexterity requirement

Application information

Collecting letters of evaluation

Volunteer hours and health care experience

DENS 101

Dental Assisting Course

The Pre-Dentistry Club @ VCU

Pre-Dental listserv

Admissions requirements

Admission to the program is based on scholastic record, demonstrated aptitude and interest and credential review conducted by the department admissions committee.
Two years of required prerequisites with a minimum or 60 semester hours are required.
Grades of “C” or better in all pre-requisite courses.
Science courses must be completed within six years of matriculation.
Applicants with a native language other than English, regardless of immigration status or previous coursework, must present a TOEFL score of 580 (paper), 237 (computer), or 92 (online examination). TOEFL scores must be included with application materials.
A minimum grade-point-average of 2.5 based on a four-point scale in the cumulative courses and a minimum GPA of 2.7 in the math/science and designated prerequisite courses GPA is required for admission.
- The dental hygiene program is competitive. For the class starting in fall 2008, there were 140 applicants for 24 seats.
- The average GPA for students admitted to the Dental Hygiene Program in 2006, 2007, and 2008 has been 3.66, 3.57, and 3.55, respectively (on a 4.0 scale).
Complete application package, including required transcripts, references and personal statement must be received by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions on the MCV campus (Sanger Hall, 1101 E. Marshall St.) on or before Feb. 15 (not postmarked by Feb. 15). Any application that does not meet the above stipulations will not be processed.
As part of the selection process, a candidate may be asked to participate in a personal interview process.
As an applicant to the Divison of Dental Hygiene at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, all accepted candidates, prior to matriculation, will be required to submit to a criminal background check (CBC). A final decision about matriculation will be made after a review of the applicant's CBC.
The rationale for performing criminal background checks:

* to foster patient safety and well being.
* to bolster the continuing trust of the public in the dental hygiene profession.
* to ascertain the ability of accepted applicants and enrolled dental hygiene students to eventually become licensed as dentista; hygienists, and
* to minimize the liability of dental schools and their affiliated clinical facilities.

The criminal background check will not be a component of the application, interview, or selection process but will be a mandatory component of the pre-matriculation process. The final decision regarding matriculation of an applicant will be based on the self-reported information in the candidate's application and information in the CBC report. Factors involved in the final decision may include, but are not limited to:

* the nature, circumstances, and frequency of any reported offense(s).
* length of time since the offense(s).
* available information that addresses efforts at rehabilitation
* the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant.

The information obtained through a criminal background check will not become part of a student's academic file and will remain confidential unless the findings result in an institutional action by the School of Dentistry.

Only candidates offered class positions and alternate-list candidates will be asked to provide criminal background checks prior to matriculation. Candidates will be responsible for the cost of the CBC.

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Pre-requisite course work for those entering VCU before fall 2007

Specific VCU required and recommended pre-requisites for those who enter VCU before fall 2007.

Pre-requisite course work for those entering VCU after fall 2007

Writing and English (Composition and Rhetoric) - 9 Credits

(3) UNIV 111 Focused Inquiry I
(3) UNIV 112 Focused Inquiry II
(3) ENGL 200 Writing and Rhetoric Workshop II

Mathematics – 4 credits

Students may be required to take the Math Placement Test.
Students may test out of this requirement on the math placement test.

(3) MATH 151 Pre-calculus

Statistics – 3 credits

Depending on the results of the mathematics placement test students may have to take MATH 141 Algebra and Applications prior to taking STAT 210.
Business Statistics is not acceptable.

(3) STAT 210 Basic Practice of Statistics

Biology – 16 Credits

VCU requires 16 credits in Biology.
BIOL 151 and BIOZ 151 or BIOL 152 and BIOZ 152 can be used in place of BIOL 101 and BIOZ 101.

General Biology - 4 credits
(3) BIOL 101 – Biological Concepts
(1) BIOZ 101 – Biological Concepts Laboratory

Human Anatomy and Physiology - 8 credits
(3) BIOL 205 Human Anatomy
(1) BIOZ 205 Human Anatomy Laboratory
(3) PHIS 206 Human Physiology
(1) PHIZ 206 Human Physiology Laboratory

Microbiology - 4 credits
(3) BIOL 209 Medical Microbiology
(1) BIOZ 209 Medical Microbiology Laboratory

Chemistry – 4 credits

Students may be required to complete CHEM 100 prior to taking CHEM 101 depending on their Chemistry Placement Test results.
Co-requisite is MATH 151 or placement test.

(3) CHEM 101 General Chemistry I
(1) CHEZ 101 General Chemistry Lab I

Humanities – 3 credits

See the College of Humanities and Sciences approved lists.
History, Literature, Foreign Language, Music Appreciation, Art History, Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies.

Sociology - 3 credits

(3) SOCY 101 General Sociology

Psychology – 4 credits

(4) PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology

Speech – 3 credits

(3) SPCH 121 Effective Speech

Visual/Performing Arts – 3 credits *a hands-on course is preferred.

See the College of Humanities and Sciences Approved list E.
It is recommended that students interested in dental hygiene or dentistry consider taking the following courses offered through the School of the Arts.
- These courses emphasize spatial relationships and can improve/hone students manual dexterity.

(4) CRAF 211 Jewelry Making I
(4) CRAF 212 Jewelry Making II
(4) SCPT 209 Introduction to Sculpture

Graduation Worksheet

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Fine motor skill/manual dexterity requirement
The dental hygiene program requires that all students develop fine motor and manual dexterity skills. Those applying to start the dental hygiene program in fall 2007 and later will be asked to present documentation that they have participated in some kind of structured experience to develop these skills.
Structured experiences can include:

Taking a visual and performing arts course off the College's approved list (for example SCPT 209 Introduction to Sculpture) that makes participants use fine motor skills.
Taking a course such as pottery, sculpture or painting with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts or some other type of structured art program.
Taking private music or art lessons.

Electives – 12 credits

In addition to the coursework listed above, applicants must have enough elective credits to total 60 semester hours.
Students should consult with their academic advisor prior to registering to determine which electives are appropriate.
Students can take general education courses in areas that are not specified in the list of prerequisites. See your advisor for more details.

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Application information

In the fall of the year preceding the desired year of admission, the student must apply separately to the dental hygiene program through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the MCV campus (Sanger Hall, 1101 E. Marshall St.)

Virginia Commonwealth University
MCV Campus Office of Undergraduate Admissions
P.O. Box 980632
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0632

The deadline to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program is Feb. 15. This means that the complete application package, including required transcripts, references and personal statement, must be received by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the MCV campus (Sanger Hall, 1101. E. Marshall St.) on or before Feb. 15 (not postmarked by Feb. 15). Any application that does not meet the above requirements will not be processed.

It is advised that students begin working on their application in October. The best time to submit applications is after grades are published for the fall semester preceding fall entry. Applications are not reviewed until after Feb. 15. An application packet for the Dental Hygiene Program may be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Applications can also be obtained at the address below:

Virginia Commonwealth University
MCV Campus Undergraduate Admissions
P. O. Box 980632
Richmond, VA 23298-0632

(804) 827-0152
FAX: (804) 828-2573
E-mail: jmdavis@vcu.edu

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Collecting letters of evaluation

The Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising does not collect letters of reference for pre-dental hygiene students. Students should collect the letters themselves and submit them, along with the application, transcripts and personal statement. Provide a copy of the recommendation form and an envelope to individuals who will be writing your recommendations, and ask that they return it by a specified date.

Further advice for collecting letters of recommendation.

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Volunteer hours and health care experience

Volunteer hours are not required for admittance to the dental hygiene program. As a dental hygiene student, you will participate in several hours of volunteer/community service work. It is always a benefit to have some volunteer/work experience. It is recommended that students get some experience working in a dental office so they can learn more about the profession prior to making application.

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DENS 101

Each spring the VCU School of Dentistry offers a one-credit course, DENS 101 Introduction to Dentistry. The course introduces undergraduates to the field of dentistry and helps them gain practical exposure to the field while pursuing pre-requisite course work. It is recommended that pre-dental students take this course in their freshman year or the spring semester directly after transfer into VCU.

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Dental Assisting Course

The Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising, in collaboration with the School of Dentistry, is pleased to present a dental assisting course. The class instructs pre-dental and pre-dental hygiene students on the skills and processes necessary to become a certified dental assistant.

Students should keep posted to the pre-dental list serve for more information on when it is offered and how to register.

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The Pre-Dentistry Club @ VCU

The Dental Club @ VCU is a student-run organization that assists students in the dental school application process by exposing them to the dental profession, as well as sponsoring events and programs to help students in the application process. Events include presentations from deans of admission and trips to dental schools to tour facilities and meet with faculty and students. Visit the club’s Web site to find out how to get involved.

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Pre-Dental listserve

The pre-dental listserve is owned and maintained by the director of pre-health sciences advising. The purpose of the list is to publicize all activities that are relevant to the academic advising and application processes to dental school. All students who have VCU e-mail addresses and have declared pre-dental concentrations are automatically added to the list each spring semester. From this site, subscribers who are not automatically added can visit the archive list of VCU list-serves.

To subscribe to the pre-dental listserv, send an e-mail to listserv@lists.vcu.edu. In the body of the message, type “subscribe pre-dental” and your name. scroll down to PRE-DENTAL and self subscribe. It is very important that students applying to dental school in a spring semester view the list archives if they are new subscribers.

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Helpful links

Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association(VDHA)
American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA)
American Association of Dental Examiners (AADE)
American Dental Association (ADA)
American Dental Education Society (ADEA)
American Student Dental Association (ASDA)
VCU School of Dentistry
GPA statistics for US dental schools for recent years
The Dental Students Network
International Association for Dental Research (IADR)
SDN (Student Doctor Network)
National Dental Association (NDA)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Predental.com
Dentaltown
Virginia Academy of General Dentistry
Virginia Board of Dentistry
Virginia Dental Association