Dental Hygiene

• Description: Provides an opportunity for the student to expand their studies in Dental Hygiene beyond the classroom by completing a project or an assignment arranged by agreement between the student and instructor. The student is required to contract with the instructor to determine the scope of assignment and the unit value assigned for successful completion. Students may take a maximum of 6 units of Independent Study per department.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 6 hours lab per week. 72 hours total per quarter. (72 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: Introduction to the profession of dental hygiene. Emphasis on dental terminology, communication skills, legal and ethical aspects of dental hygiene practice and licensing requirements. An overview of dental hygiene clinical and lab technique including infection control and examination of the head and neck. This course is a prerequisite for the BS degree in Dental Hygiene and is intended for students in that program.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 1.5 hours lecture per week, 1 hour lab per week. 30 hours total per quarter. (30 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: None

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: Comprehensive overview of anatomy of the skull, arteries, veins, and lymphatics, musculature and nervous structures of the head and neck. Identification of the teeth, the eruption sequence, normal occlusion, and classification of occlusion used in the dental profession. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 52A.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 3 hours lecture per week. 36 hours total per quarter. (36 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The first in a three course series in dental hygiene theory and practice. Focus on the principles of assessment techniques as the first phase of the dental hygiene process of care. The rationale for collection of assessment data, and associated clinical procedures will be discussed. Analysis of current evidence based literature related to the dental hygiene patient assessment procedures. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 53.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 3 hours lecture per week. 36 hours total per quarter. (36 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The first in a series in dental hygiene clinical courses. Integrates the scientific and clinical principles underlying the practice of dental hygiene. Performance of clinical procedures and techniques for patient assessment, including prevention of disease transmission, health history, extra-intraoral examination, gingival evaluation and periodontal examination are taught in a pre-clinical setting. Students will practice on typodonts and classmates. The course requires evaluation of clinical performance through demonstration of skill acquisition and level of competency. Field experiences reinforce and amplify the knowledge and skills needed to perform dental hygiene procedures in the clinical setting. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 54.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 1 hour lecture per week, 9 hours lab per week. 120 hours total per quarter. (120 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The first in a series of four dental radiology courses for the dental hygiene student. Component parts, functions, operations of the dental x-ray unit and radiation safety are emphasized. Relationships between anatomical and radiographic landmarks are analyzed. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 60A.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 2 hours lecture per week. 24 hours total per quarter. (24 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The second in a series of two periodontics courses for the dental hygiene student. Focus on best practices in periodontics, decision making and treatment planning, implementation of nonsurgical periodontal therapy, interviewing and education to enhance patient motivation, and evidence based therapy for the treatment and care of periodontal disease. The course also covers periodontal surgical procedures, dental implants, periodontal emergencies, legal issues in documentation and reporting. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 57B.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 2 hours lecture per week. 24 hours total per quarter. (24 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: Continuation of clinical dental hygiene practice providing comprehensive dental hygiene care in a clinic setting on patients. Emphasis on assessing, planning, and implementing comprehensive dental hygiene care for diverse patient populations and management of patients with special needs in a clinical setting. Students apply knowledge, critical thinking, and clinical skills acquired in previous completed dental hygiene courses. Additional procedures include local anesthesia, advanced instrumentation techniques, and locally delivered antimicrobials. Progress of development in clinical performance will be evaluated with each successive academic period including evaluation of periodontal probing with a passing grade of 80%. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 62B.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 1 hour lecture per week, 23 hours lab per week. This is a clinical laboratory course. 288 hours total per quarter. (288 hours total per quarter.) This is a clinical laboratory course.
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The study of pathology of the head, neck, and oral structures. Developmental conditions and diseases of bacterial and viral origin, neoplasms of the oral cavity. Clinical aspects of recognizing deviations from normal, documentation, differential diagnosis and referral. The role of the dental hygienist in education and prevention, early detection and referral of lesions of the head and neck regions. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 55B.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 2 hours lecture per week. 24 hours total per quarter. (24 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The first course in a year long series in the study of community dental health problems and disparities that exist in health care. The science of epidemiology, research and writing skills, and statistics will be discussed. An analysis of current dental health issues and initial development of a community dental health program. Evaluation of scientific literature will be developed. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 58A or 63C.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 2 hours lecture per week, 1 hour lab per week. 36 hours total per quarter. (36 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: Discussion and demonstration of advanced and supplemental dental hygiene functions: digital intraoral photography, dental hygiene instrumentation, ultrasonic scaling techniques, soft tissue curettage and locally delivered antimicrobials. Supportive course to reinforce and amplify the knowledge and skills needed to perform dental hygiene procedures in the clinical setting for D H 320B. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Advisory: Not open to students with credit in D H 75A.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 1 hour lecture per week, 3 hours lab per week. 48 hours total per quarter. (48 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: The first in a series of three courses. This course introduces the capstone project, with an emphasis on identifying and developing an appropriate dental hygiene research topic by reviewing published research articles on the subject. The detailed process involved in writing a literature review will be introduced. Conducting research as well as the key concepts of research design will also be reviewed. As a part of exploring topic options that fit the student's professional interest, various career paths for dental hygienists will be discussed. At the end of the quarter, students will write the introduction to their literature review which includes the problem statement, objectives, and research questions. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 5 hours lecture per week. 60 hours total per quarter. (60 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: CSU
• Transfer GE: Information regarding how this course is applied toward CSU GE/Breadth or IGETC certification is available at:
• Foothill Transfer GE Guide

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.

• Description: Health communication and multicultural issues unique to the dental and medical fields. Topics include intercultural communication; health literacy; interpersonal, small group, electronic, and nonverbal communication; listening; persuasion, caring for limited English proficient people; and working with interpreters. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the completion track.
• Repeatability: Not Repeatable.
• Hours: 5 hours lecture per week. 60 hours total per quarter. (60 hours total per quarter.)
• Transferability: None

Department Note:

There is a selective admission process to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses, except for DH200L which is open to all students. For an application, call (650) 949-7538.