Nashville Campus – Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene Program Information
Tennessee Dental Hygiene Scope of Practice
Dental hygienists in Tennessee provide preventive, therapeutic, and educational oral health services under dentist supervision as defined by state law. Scope of practice is established in Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63, Chapter 5 and Tennessee Board of Dentistry Rule 0460‑03‑.09, available at the Tennessee Board of Dentistry website: https://www.tn.gov/health/licensure/den.html.
Current Tennessee Employment Opportunities for Dental Hygiene
Dental hygienists in Tennessee continue to experience strong employment opportunities across a wide range of practice settings. Graduates may find positions in private dental practices, group practices, corporate dental organizations, public health clinics, community health centers, specialty practices, and mobile or outreach programs serving underserved populations. Demand for dental hygienists remains steady statewide due to workforce shortages, expanding access‑to‑care initiatives, and continued growth in both urban and rural dental markets. Employment opportunities and workforce data for Tennessee can be accessed through the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Board of Dentistry: https://www.tn.gov/health/licensure/den.html
Transfer Credit Policy
Transfer credit for major courses from other dental hygiene programs is not accepted, except for equivalent coursework completed at the South College Dallas Campus.
Curriculum
The Nashville Campus Dental Hygiene curriculum provides a comprehensive sequence of didactic, laboratory, and clinical courses designed to meet the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards and Nashville regulatory requirements. Students progress through foundational sciences, preclinical skill development, and supervised clinical practice in a structured, competency‑based format.
Nashville Curriculum Link: https://catalog.south.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=8&poid=2291
Nashville Campus Applicant Ranking System
- Overall GPA Applicants are first ranked by overall GPA, with higher GPAs receiving higher placement.
- Science GPA (Tie‑Breaker 1) If two or more applicants share the same overall GPA, the applicant with the higher science GPA is ranked above the others.
- Prerequisite GPA Including Failed or Repeated Attempts (Tie‑Breaker 2) If a tie still exists, the final ranking metric is the prerequisite GPA that includes all previous failed or repeated attempts of required prerequisite courses.