Dental Hygiene 2026

Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years old and complete ALL of the following to be eligible for admission. Coursework must be successfully completed by the end of LCC’s Spring semester to be considered. To allow for faster admission decisions, courses and degrees completed at other colleges during the semester of the deadline are not accepted. Only courses listed on your LCC record, which includes transfer credit, can be used to satisfy an admission requirement. Completion of the requirements does not guarantee admission into a Selective Admission program.

Admission Requirements Notes

1. Science courses (BIOL & CHEM) must be completed within 5 years of the application deadline. Courses must transfer into Lansing Community College (LCC) as the exact class to satisfy the admission requirement.
2. The general education requirement for English and/or Communication will be waived by Selective Admissions only if the student has an Associate’s or higher degree AND there are no classes completing the requirement(s) on the student’s academic record. Official transcripts on record with LCC’s Registrars office must show proof of degree.

*Transfer Students: Only courses and degrees completed at LCC during the semester of the deadline are accepted. Official transcripts from ALL transferring colleges must be on file with LCC’s Registrars office by April 1^st to be considered. Maximum points will be deducted if transcripts are not received for all colleges attended – except international schools. See the grading scale above used to convert letter grades to numerical.

Applicants who complete all of the admission requirements will be ranked using the following point system. Those with the highest total points will be selected for the available seats. Admission decisions are made mid-June.

Point System Notes

1. This point criteria is optional. Only applicants who meet the criteria will earn points in this category.
2. Dental Assisting experience must be within 5 years. To earn points, appropriate documentation must be attached to your application (preferred) or emailed to selective_admissions@star.lcc.edu by the application deadline. Proof of dental assisting work experience must be documented by the HR department or a supervisor on business letterhead and include dates of employment, position title, and a brief description of duties. Paystubs and W2 tax statements are not accepted. Dental Assisting graduates must provide a certificate from a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited program to earn points. *Direct-patient care is defined as giving one-on-one medical attention to patients in a healthcare setting. Examples of direct-patient care job duties include taking vitals, administering medication, assisting with mobility, helping the patient with hygiene/bathing, carrying out medical treatment plans, giving general medical care, etc. Direct-patient care must be a primary job responsibility to earn points.
3. To earn points, transfer students must show proof of degree by April 1^st via an official transcript sent to LCC’s Registrars Office. Applicants who earn(ed) their degree at LCC will automatically be awarded points for this criteria. To determine if you are eligible for a degree at LCC, meet with an academic advisor early on in the Spring semester for a degree audit. Students must submit a degree application by March 15th to earn a Spring semester degree. More information is available on the Registrar Forms page.
4. The highest grade will be used for GPA calculation. If an admission requirement is satisfied via an AP exam, CLEP score, or degree, it will not be included in the GPA calculation.
5. A statistics course is recommended for students planning to transfer to a Bachelors program; contact your desired transfer school for specifics.
6. When reviewing point deductions for course repeats, withdraws and attempts at other institutions are considered. Only attempts within 5 years are reviewed for the science courses and 10 years for all other courses. Deductions are only given for a repeat or withdraw in an identical/equivalent course. For example, no deduction will be given if you earn a 1.0 in COMM 120 and then complete COMM 130 with a 4.0. Maximum points will be deducted if transfer transcripts are not received for all colleges attended. This does not include international schools.

In the case of a tie in total points, total number of points deducted for repeats followed by GPA of required science courses (A&P, BIOL 203, CHEM 120), and GPA of additional point courses will be used.

The approximate cost for a Dental Hygiene student who receives in-district tuition rates is $44,461.50; this includes the cost of the admission requirements and in-program courses, along with Dental supplies and textbooks.

Be advised some DENT classes have a portion of the course fee that is non-refundable. Any student who registers for the class and then drops, withdraws, or is otherwise ineligible for the program will not be refunded the non-refundable portion. The non-refundable amount and the items included in course fees vary by class. Contact the Program Director for more information.

Program Cost

Applicants admitted to this program are required to present evidence from a licensed healthcare provider that they have completed ALL of the following immunizations.

• Covid**
• Hepatitis B
• Influenza (flu)**
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
• Tdap
• Varicella

Admitted applicants must also provide the following documentation:

• TB test results showing they are free from infection
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification (healthcare provider)
• A physical from a licensed healthcare provider
• Results of a Background Check

These requirements are in accordance with professional standards and third-party clinical site requirements. Students are responsible for the cost associated with obtaining immunizations, physicals, BLS certification, and any other items relating to clinical eligibility. Clinical hours must be completed in-full in order to successfully complete this program as mandated by the program’s accrediting body and/or professional licensure/certification governances. Students who have not met all of the required clinical requirements, including vaccinations, are not eligible to participate in this program.

**Immunization exemptions may be accepted by the third-party healthcare facilities with whom we partner. Should a student request an exemption at a third-party healthcare facility, it is their responsibility to secure that exemption from the facility. They will be required to request the exemption for every clinical rotation site during their time in the LCC Nursing Program. Students must be aware that if there is a change in the immunization requirements at healthcare facilities it is the responsibility of the student to ensure they meet all requirements. If not, it may impact their ability to complete the Nursing Program.

Applicants should be aware some vaccinations require a series of injections. In these instances, the entire series must be complete to participate in clinical activities. Titer results showing immunity are accepted for some of the vaccinations in lieu of proof of immunization. For most students the easiest way to verify your current vaccination status is to visit the Michigan Immunization Portal and access your State of Michigan immunization record from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR). Students are encouraged to consult with their healthcare provider before starting the program to ensure they can meet these immunization and physical requirements.

More information about these requirements and how to submit them will be provided at the program orientation that occurs after admission decisions are made; do not submit these documents prior to being instructed to do so by program administration. Contact the Program Director for questions regarding clinical requirements.

Latex sensitivity and allergy has grown as a health care concern in recent years. Beginning one’s professional life with a latex allergy presents unique problems because of the increased need to don gloves in both medical and non-medical settings, and unavoidable direct contact with products containing latex rubber (gloves, syringes, tubing, etc.), or by inhaling powder from latex gloves. Applicants with latex sensitivity and allergy are therefore encouraged to consult with their primary care physician to ensure their health and safety while participating in the program.

Be aware Lansing Community College does not provide accident and health insurance coverage for students. The College provides liability insurance coverage for students in practicum for injuries and damages they cause to others. It does not cover injuries students sustain as a result of their own actions. Students must use personal funds or personal medical insurance as a primary medical coverage payment if accident or injury occurs or if emergency treatment is required.

1. Motor skills required to meet the class and clinical practice outcomes are:

   • Strength: Perform physical activities requiring the ability to push/pull objects/persons more than 25 pounds. Example: the strength to be able to transfer a patient from a wheelchair to a dental chair; use upper body strength to assist the patient in an emergency situation (perform CPR). Possess hand-arm strength to control manual and power dental instruments and tools.
   • Manual Dexterity: Perform complex motor skills such as writing, typing; manipulative skills with fine instruments and devices, and calibration of dental equipment. Students must have full use of hands, wrists, shoulders, feet, and the ability to extend hands and arms in any direction reaching above the head. No other structural defect or limitation, which may interfere with the ability to control and safely operate medical/dental instruments and equipment. Examples: fine motor coordination, such as giving injections. Be able to grasp, pinch, or twist with fingers.
   • Coordination: Perform body coordination such as walking, filing, retrieving equipment, eye-hand coordination, arm-hand steadiness, have the ability to use both hands and one foot simultaneously, ability to extend the hands and arms in any direction, reaching above the head (i.e., use of hand instruments, taking blood pressures, calibration of instruments and equipment).
   • Mobility: Perform mobility skills such as walking, standing, prolonged standing or sitting in occasionally uncomfortable positions or very small spaces (i.e., 2 feet by 4 feet spaces), be able to sit in ergonomically correct dental hygiene position unassisted.
   • Visual Ability: See objects far away, very close, discriminate fine detail and colors, and to see objects closely as in reading faces, dials, monitors, etc. Examples: Need to be able to read millimeter measurement marking on dental instruments. Need to be able to distinguish between color variations (white, red, purple, blue) in tissues to distinguish between normal and abnormal. Differentiate between shades of gray on radiographs to determine the quality and identify anatomy. Visualize edge and adaptation of instruments at distances between 12-16 inches.
   • Hearing: Have sufficient hearing to respond to patient needs as well as interact with the patient in a variety of situations in the presence of extraneous sounds from clinical equipment such as sonic, ultrasonic and radiography equipment (i.e.: faint sound such a systole and diastole through stethoscope, percussion of teeth, temporomandibular joint - clicking/popping, alarm on nitrous machine, ultrasonic pitches, cutting edge of dental instruments).
   • Tactile Ability: Demonstrate tactile abilities sufficient to make physical assessments of soft and hard tissues. To perceive attributes of patients and objects such as when performing intraoral and extraoral examinations; to use assessment instruments such as explorers and probes; to detect hard deposits on teeth as well as evaluate deposit removal; to evaluate tooth anatomy.

2. Cognitive skills required to meet the class and clinical practice outcomes:

   • Attention Span: Concentrate on patient safety with a moderate amount of interruptions (i.e., patient and co-worker requests, alarms, equipment noise). Attend to task/functions that require up to 60 minutes in length and handle a variety of tasks for periods up to 8 hours. No mental, nervous, organic or functional disease, or psychiatric disorder likely to interfere with the ability to coordinate treatment planning; work with other health care professionals and patients; coordinate treatment procedures; and safely operate medical/dental devices and instruments.
   • Conceptualization and Critical Thinking: Comprehend and integrate knowledge from didactic courses and professional literature into the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of dental hygiene treatment. Critical thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment to identify cause-effect relationships in clinical situations and develop and implement treatment/care plans. Prioritize, organize, and utilize time management skills to deliver patient care in a timely and accurate manner. Adhere to: HIPAA and OSHA guidelines, ADHA professional standards, LCC and Dental Hygiene Program professional conduct guidelines as well as clinical policies and procedures.
   • Memory: Remember task/assignments given to self and others over both short and long periods (i.e., information gathered in assessing patients and didactic courses).

3. Psychological skills required to meet the class and clinical practice outcomes:

   • Interpersonal: Demonstrate interpersonal abilities to interact compassionately and effectively with patients from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds. Establish professional and respectful rapport with patients, classmates, staff, faculty, and dentist. Work effectively as a team member.
   • Communication: Speak and write clearly and concisely with patients, classmates, staff, faculty, dentist, and other health care providers in English when applicable using standard medical and dental terminology. Communicate sufficiently for interaction with others in written form. Writing skills include being able to prepare legibly written documentation. Explain treatment procedures, initiate health teaching, interpret health care actions, and patient responses. Be able to read and interpret directions from one’s supervisors.
   • Substance Abuse: No current clinical diagnosis of alcoholism. Must not use Schedule 1 drugs or other substances such as amphetamines, narcotics, or any other habit-forming drug except those substances or drugs prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner; who is familiar with the individual's medical history and assigned duties and who has advised the individual that the prescribed substance or drug will not adversely affect the individual's ability to safely practice.
   • Stress: A student’s behavior and social skills must be acceptable with the college and clinical settings. A student must be able to: monitor his/her emotions; manage strong emotions (such as grief or anger) in a professional manner; perform multiple responsibilities concurrently; adapt to a changing environment/stress and deal with the unexpected (such as a crisis situation); work with patients who may be very young/old, critically ill/injured, or mentally/physically deficient/impaired.

Warnings and Notifications of Hazards and Risks

All occupations have inherent risks that prospective students should be aware of. The purpose of this Warning of Hazards and Risks is to bring students’ attention to the existence of potential dangers in the Dental Hygiene Program and to aid them in making an informed decision concerning participation in the Program. Upon entering the Dental Hygiene Program, the student will be required to sign an Informed Acknowledgment and Consent to Hazards and Risks form after receiving and reviewing the LCC Dental Hygiene Program’s Student Program Manual and Risk Management Manual.