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Dental Hygiene Program FAQs

No, Blinn does not offer online classes in the dental hygiene program. Dental hygiene is an in-person based curriculum where you learn to use dental equipment, master a new skill, and interact with patients on a very personal level under the care of hands-on instructors.

Upon acceptance, the Dental Hygiene Program is 2 academic years in length with a summer session included. All traditional college holidays are observed.

Upon successful completion of the Dental Hygiene Program students are granted an Associate of Applied Science degree. 

Students are in class full time on a daytime schedule, four to five days a week. Each semester is slightly different, but most classes end at 5:00 pm. Clinic preparation begins at 7:30 AM for morning clinic and 12:30 PM for the afternoon clinic. Depending on completion of clinical duties, the afternoon clinic may not dismiss until 5:30 pm.

Including tuition, books, instruments and clinic supplies, immunizations, uniforms, and board exam fees, the cost is approximately $25,000.00 for out-of-district, in-state students. Students are required to purchase and wear scrubs in any lab or clinic setting.

The pre-entrance exam for dental hygiene applicants is the ATI-TEAS

Applicants will be notified mid-March of the results of the application process.

Blinn College Dental Hygiene will not keep a waiting list from one year to the next. Each applicant must reapply the following year if they accepted to the program by the fall start date. We will, however, maintain an alternate list for the application cycle. Applicants will be ranked in numerical order of points earned in the application cycle. Should an accepted applicant decline entry into the program the next alternate in numerical order will be notified until the class is full.

Once accepted, students will receive a packet of information regarding drug testing, criminal background clearance and immunization requirements. 

  • Graduation from an accredited dental hygiene program
  • Successful completion of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE)
  • Successful completion of a regional clinical examination
  • Successful completion of state jurisprudence, laws, rules and regulations
  • Once you have satisfied these requirements, you may apply to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners for licensure in Texas. 
  • If you are seeking licensure in another state, please investigate licensure requirements for that state.

You are eligible to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam during the spring semester of your final year in the Dental Hygiene Program.   You are eligible to sit for a clinical exam near graduation of your final semester, or after graduation.

Our program, like many of the others in the state, accepts and admits one class per year in the Fall semester.

Points are awarded in the application rubric for any work experience. It is helpful to have some dental office experience to solidify your personal and career goals but is not required.

BIOL 2402 Anatomy & Physiology 2 MUST be no more than 5 years old when applying to the Dental Hygiene Program. BIOL 2420 Medical Microbiology MUST be no more than 3 years old.

The highest grade earned will be used in the points rubric for course completion.  Both grades will be calculated in the GPA.

Application Rubric

  • GPA: 15%
  • Grades in general academics: 28%
  • Sciences: A=5 points, B=3 points, C=0 points
  • Other general academics: A=2 points, B=1 point, C=0 points
  • ATI TEAS: 46%
  • “other”: 11% (employment, observation, community service, hours in college, degrees awarded)

Application rubric is subject to change each application cycle.

Entrance into the Dental Hygiene program is very competitive. It is not unusual for applicants to have a 3.4-3.6 in the pre-requisite courses and more A’s than B’s in the general education courses. By utilizing a points rubric, however, we are confident that we will accept the very best students, utilizing a multi-factorial approach to admission.

Blinn College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability in its programs or activities. For information regarding Title IX, ADA, Section 504 and other anti-discrimination coordinators, see the  Required Notices link on the Blinn College main webpage.