Dental hygienists are professionals who treat and prevent dental illnesses. They help people maintain their oral health by giving treatments and counseling aimed at improving the mouth, teeth, and gums’ health. If you wish to work as a dental hygienist, you’ll need a dental hygiene bachelor degree. You’ll get the skills and information necessary for registration with the General Dental Council (GDC), which is required to practice as a dental hygienist.
In today’s article we are going to consider what a dental hygiene bachelor degree entails and the top schools offering it.
Who Is a Dental Hygienist?
A dental hygienist, often known as an oral hygienist, is a licensed dental professional who is registered with their country’s dental organization or regulating authority. Registered dental hygienists must obtain either an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene from an authorized college or university before taking the clinical and written board tests.
Hygienists are primary healthcare providers who operate independently or in collaboration with dentists and other dental professionals to provide comprehensive oral health care. They have specialized training and instruction in the prevention and treatment of a variety of oral disorders.
Dental hygienists perform a limited number of clinical treatments for their patients. They evaluate a patient’s situation in order to provide patient-specific preventive and educational treatments in order to promote and maintain good oral health.
Periodontal therapy, which includes periodontal charting, periodontal debridement (scaling and root planing), prophylaxis (disease prevention), and periodontal maintenance operations for patients with periodontal disease, is a primary duty of a dental hygienist.
Therapeutic strategies help their patients control oral illness while delivering personalized treatment plans that highlight the relevance of behavioral adjustments. Some dental hygienists are licensed to do dental radiography and administer local anesthetic.
Oral cancer screening and prevention are also provided by dental hygienists. Hygienists may also take intraoral radiographs, place dental sealants, apply topical fluoride, and provide patient-specific oral hygiene teaching in addition to these procedures.
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How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make?
The average hourly income for a Dental Hygienist in the United States is $36.69 per hour as of January 13, 2022. While ZipRecruiter reports hourly wages as high as $48.80 and as low as $19.71, the majority of Dental Hygienist salaries in the United States now vary between $31.49 (25th percentile) to $40.87 (75th percentile).
The typical compensation for a Dental Hygienist ranges widely (up to $9.38), implying that there may be several prospects for promotion and greater pay dependent on skill level, location, and years of experience.
How To Become a Dental Hygienist
Get an Associate Degree
The majority of dental hygienists have an associate’s degree in dental hygiene, such as an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Community colleges, technical schools, and dental schools all offer these programs. Students receive classroom and clinical training in order to prepare for their careers. The curricula typically last two or three years and cover topics like as anatomy, ethics, and periodontics (the study of gum disease).
Obtain a License
While eligibility standards for licensure differ by state, all dental hygienists in the United States are required to be licensed. Applicants must have completed an accredited dental hygiene program in order to be considered. Candidates in some states may be required to earn a CPR certification as well as submit letters of recommendation and transcripts.
Qualifying candidates must next take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, a written exam conducted by the American Dental Association, in order to receive a license.
Consider Getting an Advanced Degree
While a bachelor’s or master’s degree isn’t required for employment as a dental hygienist, it might help you qualify for careers outside of the dental office, such as research or teaching. Degrees in these fields may be required for work in school clinics or public health.
Top Schools Offering Dental Hygiene Bachelor Degree
The following schools offer the best Dental Hygiene Bachelor degree. All you have to do is contact the schools and get more information about the program.
The Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, which is part of the College of Dentistry, offers a competency-based curriculum to teach its diverse student body. The institution offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and students work alongside dental students in clinical studies. Furthermore, the BSDH program is the only dental hygiene program housed within a dentistry institution in North Texas.
Texas A&M University has a large alumni base throughout the state. In fact, Texas A&M University graduates account for around one-third of all dental practitioners in the state. Furthermore, the university produces more BSDH graduates than any other college in Texas.
The curriculum uses a hands-on approach to train students to become dental hygienists, with students first honing their abilities in a classroom setting before moving on to real patients. Furthermore, the Dental Simulation Clinic at the College of Dentistry was the first of its kind in Texas when it opened in 2002. Essentially, it allows pre-clinical students to use mannequins and other simulation tools to recreate those experiences.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is the only dental school in the northern tier of states, stretching from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. In a big public university context, the school provides both BSDH and MSDH degrees. Furthermore, because students attend classes year-round, the accelerated bachelor’s degree permits them to finish in just three years.
In general, the institution combines a liberal arts curriculum with clinical training and biological and social scientific subjects. In short, the competency-based program encourages graduates to be lifelong learners with strong critical-thinking abilities by promoting evidence-based dental hygiene practices. Students get a lot of hands-on experience in the dental hygiene curriculum, which includes four weeks of patient care.
Furthermore, due of the program’s emphasis on service and leadership, all students are obliged to participate in community outreach initiatives. As a result, the School of Dentistry has formed agreements with around fifteen sites throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, allowing students to practice with a wide range of people. Many of these service-learning clinics serve persons who are underprivileged in terms of dental treatment.
Rutgers University
In New Jersey, Rutgers University is a key player in dental treatment and education. In fact, in 2018, College Factual named Rutgers the best college for studying health professions. The B.S. in Dental Hygiene is a full-time program with two summer sessions.
Rutgers is not just the state’s largest provider of dental treatment, but it’s also the state’s largest center of dental research. The School of Health Professions, which contains the BSDH program, is the country’s largest of its kind, with over 35 certificates and degrees.
But the school’s diversity extends beyond its course offerings; Rutgers is said to be the most racially and ethnically diverse university in the country, with students from all walks of life.
The Rutgers School of Health Professions also has a high rate of job placement, with nearly all graduates finding work within three months of graduation. Additionally, BSDH students are entitled to take the board tests to receive their dental hygienist licenses at the conclusion of the program.
Students at the University of Pittsburgh can earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene in a unique academic setting.
The multidisciplinary program prepares students for work as dental hygienists in private offices, but graduates can also pursue positions in industry sales, business, public health, or research.
Throughout the curriculum, the emphasis is on practical training. First-year students, for example, begin learning skills in a technology-enhanced simulation lab. Later, all students rotate through the school dentistry clinic, giving them experience working with the general population.
In addition, the University of Pittsburg offers cross-discipline education, which gives students a competitive advantage in their employment. Dental hygiene students, for example, can participate in SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) training with nursing students.
Students learn how to identify individuals with substance use disorders and then construct evidence-based plans of customized care by participating in simulated scenarios.
University Of Washington
Many students at the University of Washington intend to teach or pursue professions in dental research. As a result, the entire dental hygiene program is designed for students interested in teaching and research. Furthermore, the institution only accepts applicants with a dental, medical, or life sciences degree. Furthermore, the university emphasizes that most of their applicants have prior experience with laboratory research or associated abilities.
The dental hygiene curriculum at the University of Washington is flexible, allowing students to arrange their studies to match their own educational or research objectives. Each student must also complete a capstone research project with the goal of improving or better understanding oral health care. As a result, research-focused electives are available in the program, which assist students in writing literature reviews and presenting at conferences and seminars.
Ohio State University
The Institution of Dentistry at Ohio State University has the state’s only public dental hygiene program, with BSDH and MSDH options; the college is the country’s fourth-largest public dentistry school.
To develop well-rounded professionals, the curriculum blends classroom instruction with laboratory and clinical experiences. Furthermore, the master’s degree is fully online and is aimed for individuals interested in teaching or leadership jobs.
Students must complete training at one of the university’s several on-campus clinics. Fourth-year BSDH students, for example, spend 50 days working with academics in various community clinics and practices that assist Ohio’s underserved population.
Ohio State is preparing students to pass their board exams through this hands-on instruction. In reality, for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019, the first-attempt pass rate for graduates taking the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination was 100 percent.
Dental faculty members recently received funding from notable grantors such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health, demonstrating Ohio State’s status as a major research university.
New York University
The Office of Allied Health Programs in the College of Dentistry at New York University provides an associate’s degree in dental hygiene and a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. Both programs are flexible; the AAS offers a quick track that may be finished in 17 months or a longer curriculum that takes three years to complete. In the same way, a bachelor’s degree can be earned in three years.
The NYU dental hygiene program is clinically based, with numerous chances for community outreach. Before graduation, all students, for example, rotate through clinical specialties such as orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and more, occasionally working in hospital clinics. Despite this hands-on, skills-based approach to education, certain classroom-based courses are available online.
Because of its internship program, NYU’s bachelor’s program is rather unique. Students must complete two internships, however specializations in healthcare management, public health, education and training, or research are possible.
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed reading our article on Best Schools Offering Dental Hygiene Bachelor Degree. If you want to study Dental Hygiene, do well to contact the schools listed in this article and get more information about their Dental Hygiene program.
