As early as 1969, Clayton Junior College had plans to offer future courses in Dental Hygiene. The intended mission of the program was to train professionals in preventive dentistry to help dispel the common notion that dental health is only a concern for middle aged and older people who experience issues due to aging. In August of 1970 Clayton Junior College received $30,000 in funding from the Board of Regents to develop a two-year Dental Hygiene Program, in addition to the $75,000 the school was previously guaranteed to purchase equipment and create a clinical laboratory.

In September of 1971 the two-year program was officially opened for enrollment with a 16-chair dental clinic. It was the first and only academic Dental Hygiene Career Program in the Atlanta metropolitan area at the time. Mrs. Doris Bates served as director of the Dental Hygiene and Nursing Programs at Clayton Junior College during the program's inception. The first program courses offered included dental hygiene, dental office procedures. and general studies in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics which were housed in the Student Center. The Dental Hygiene Program's Clinic is still housed in the same building which is now known as Edgewater Hall. As of 2020, the program currently ranks as one of the top online Dental Hygiene Bachelor Programs.