Dental Hygienist

ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN DENTAL HYGIENE
CERTIFICATE IN PRE-DENTAL HYGIENE

Child getting teeth cleaned by Dental HygienistAbout the Career

In dental offices, there are three valuable members of the care-giving team: the dentist, the hygienist and the dental assistant. As licensed practitioners, dental hygienists perform routine cleaning and other preventive procedures that were once performed by dentists. They are advocates of good oral health, helping educate and instruct patients regarding proper oral hygiene. With the support of hygienists, dentists can provide better professional care to more patients, thus increasing both the quality of the dental treatment and the productivity of the office.

The dental hygienist occupation is projected to be one of the 30 fastest growing. Opportunities for flexible work hours and part-time work are excellent. Employment opportunities in South Carolina include private dental practices, public health settings, hospital dental practices, prison dental clinics, public schools and in dental hygiene education. Related career roles include dental products sales representatives, infection control consultants for private dental offices and dental hygiene educators.

 

Dental InstrumentsAbout the Program

The Dental Hygiene program includes instruction in principles of preventive oral care, including teaching clients self-care, examining clients’ head and neck areas for abnormal health status, nutritional counseling, applying sealants to the grooves of clients’ teeth, producing diagnostically acceptable intraoral radiographs (X-rays), managing pain and anxiety, and removing deposits from clients’ teeth with scaling procedures.

This program is a two-phase curriculum. Phase I, the Pre-Dental Hygiene certificate, includes the general education and related courses (English, math, anatomy, physiology, etc.) required in the curriculum. Program advisors guide the student on how to meet the requirements for Phase II. 

The second year or Phase II of the associate degree is the hands-on, technical portion of the program. During Phase II, students intensively study dental hygiene procedures in class, laboratory, and clinical facilities.

Studies in Dental Hygiene Technology lead to an associate degree in health science and qualify graduates to take national, regional and state examinations leading to licensure.