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Dental Hygienist Education
What kind of schooling is required in order to be hired on as a dental hygienist?
Currently, to become a dental hygienist it is required to obtain an associate’s degree from accredited dental hygienist schools, which typically takes two years to obtain. There are also bachelor’s degrees available, although not as many institutions offer these programs yet. A bachelor’s degree is typically not a necessity in this profession except for those who want to become hygienist instructors or become a representative for a dental product company such as Crest or Colgate. A four year degree is also required for those looking to make a career out of hygiene research. Some of the bachelor’s degreeis a requirement for entry, but at this point just an associate’s degree is required.Learn more about how to become a dental hygienist.
What steps do students take in order to be accepted into a hygienist program?
Oftentimes, those wanting to get into a hygiene program are on a yearlong waiting list, depending on the state in which they reside. The reason there are waiting lists is due to there being available clinic room for only a set number of students. Most of those individuals waiting to get into a program use that time to take care of prerequisite requirements such as classes in anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, psychology, and sociology. Typically only 20-30 students are accepted into a hygiene program at a time. Oftentimes hygienist students go to school full time in the summer between their first and second year of school. Learn more about dental hygienist job skills.
What types of courses are included in a dental hygienist program?
Below are some of the typical programs included in a dental hygiene degree. Many programs have additional courses:- Dental Anatomy: Learning about various muscles, bones, formation, and characteristics of each tooth.
- Radiology: Learning how to take x-rays.
- Community: Learning how to interact with patients with special needs including children, the elderly, and those who are handicapped.
- Foundations of Dental Hygiene: Learning the proper way to set up a room, the importance of sanitization and sterilization, OSHA, and blood borne pathogens (such as AIDS, Hepatitis etc.)
- Pharmacology: Learning about various medications and their interactions with teeth.
- Clinicals: Involves working hands-on with patients. Typically there is 3 hours worth of clinicals per day.
- Dental Materials: Learning about the different dental materials such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, and whitening products.
- Pathology: Learning about different diseases of the teeth and mouth.
Are internships or clinical experience required as part of a hygienist degree program?
Typically, the first semester of a hygiene program involves more classroom work and the “book knowledge” behind the field. The second and third semesters usually involve half “book work” courses and half pre-clinic experience. The pre-clinic experience allows students to practice on one another and on mannequins. The fourth and final semester is mainly clinics with a small amount of classroom study.Typically a hygiene clinic is available through the school where individuals can pay a reduced fee to have their teeth cleaned. The cleaning typically takes quite a bit longer due to students performing it, and the instructors having to check their work over. The clinics perform only cleaning and x-rays; not actual restorative dental work. If cavities or abnormalities are detected, the patient is given a slip and encouraged to see a regular dentist.
