Dental Hygiene

The Profession

Dental hygiene today is an exciting field with many opportunities for employment and professional growth.  It is a career that is socially significant, professionally challenging, and personally rewarding.

What they do: The dental hygienist is a licensed healthcare professional who provides educational, clinical, and therapeutic services in order to promote optimal oral health. They are skilled in preventing diseases such as dental caries (cavities), periodontal (gum) disease and oral cancer through education and treatment. The dental hygienist is a clinician, an educator, a researcher, a change agent and consumer advocate, and a manager.

Where they work: A dental hygienist is a partner in the dental healthcare team, and works in variety of settings, from private dental offices and clinics; to federal, state, and local health departments; to school districts and departments of education. With advanced education, dental hygienists play an important role in teaching and research, as well as in the administration of education and public health programs.

The Program

The education become a dental hygienist at the University of Minnesota is a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. Applicants to the dental hygiene program must complete prerequisite courses prior to application. The program includes three years of professional coursework in the basic sciences and includes biochemistry, microbiology, histology, pathology, and physiology.

Students should have good interpersonal communication skills and must have good manual dexterity, among other requirements for the program.

The professional program also includes courses in dental and head neck anatomy; preclinical and clinical dental hygiene; communication skills; patient assessment; cariology and periodontology; oral radiology; pathology; biomaterials; public health; pharmacology; local anesthesia and pain control; research methods; orthodontics and pediatric dentistry; geriatrics; and advanced clinical rotations. A wide range of theoretical and clinical experiences in treating traditional and special-needs patients is provided. Students also participate in a number of community-based clinical and education programs with diverse patient populations.

The Career

Employment of dental hygienists in Minnesota and nationally is expected to grow due to the increasing demand for dental care and the active role hygienists play in preventative dental care activities (such as cleaning).

There is typically excellent demand, solid placement rates, and competitive pay for qualified hygienists. More than half of all dental hygienists work part-time (less than 35 hours a week) and many work in multiple settings. The majority of dental hygienists work in private dental offices. Some work in public health agencies, schools, and hospitals. Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists. Click here for salary and employment trend data.

For licensure/registration in Minnesota, dental hygienists must graduate from a dental hygiene school accredited by the Commission on Accreditation, pass the National Board Examination for dental hygienists, pass the clinical examination administered by the Central Regional Dental Testing Service within five years of application for licensure, pass the Minnesota Jurisprudence examination covering the statutes and rules of the Board within five years of application for licensure/registration, and submit an application fee for licensure/registration.