Dental hygiene education and practice do not have a solid theoretical foundation to justify its existence or purpose. Life course theory is used to understand the human condition in a nuanced and detailed fashion. Life course theory is used in nursing education and practice, elder studies, criminal justice, and especially in maternal/child education. The problem this study will explore is dental hygiene education and its lack of a robust theoretical basis that could assist the advancement of the field, so that access to preventive oral care is improved. The purpose of this novel qualitative study is to explain and better understand the perceptions of program directors who lead bachelors' degree granting dental hygiene programs about life course theory as an educational aspect of course curriculum The population studied is dental hygiene program directors of four-year programs in the United States. It is a basic qualitative study of program directors, beginning with demographic data from a potential 47 directors with a sample of three to ten of the 47 directors who participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview. Data was analyzed for themes and coded to determine any evident themes with the additional input of the demographic data. All data was gathered through online tools appropriate for qualitative studies and privacy and confidentiality was strictly observed with Concordia University Chicago's IRB approval sought. The anticipated results will shed light on how program directors perceive life course theory and its utility in dental hygiene education and practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]