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CODA required curriculum content (course milestones, not an exam)

Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)

Format

Accreditation standard 2-8; at least two academic years of full-time instruction (2-1)

What it covers

• 2-8a General education
  • oral and written communications
  • psychology
  • sociology
• 2-8b Biomedical sciences
  • anatomy
  • physiology
  • chemistry
  • biochemistry
  • microbiology
  • immunology
  • general and maxillofacial pathology and/or pathophysiology
  • nutrition
  • pharmacology
• 2-8c Dental sciences
  • tooth morphology
  • head, neck and oral anatomy
  • oral embryology and histology
  • oral pathology
  • radiography
  • periodontology
  • pain management
  • dental materials
• 2-8d Dental hygiene science
  • oral health education and preventive counseling
  • health promotion
  • patient management
  • clinical dental hygiene
  • provision of services for and management of patients with special needs
  • community dental/oral health
  • medical and dental emergencies
  • legal and ethical aspects of dental hygiene practice
  • infection and hazard control management
  • provision of oral health care services to patients with bloodborne infectious diseases

Notes

Standards edition effective August 8, 2025. Admission test is not specified by CODA (Standard 2-3).

Sources

• https://coda.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/coda/files/dental_hygiene_standards.pdf
• https://coda.ada.org/standards

Checked 2026-10-03.