More and more people are turning to dental hygienist in order to avoid the dreaded, painful dentist procedures and treatments. This has led to the increase in demand for these professionals. It has therefore become a lucrative career choice.
A dental hygienist salary will range anywhere from $44,000 to $91,000 per annum. If you have decided to take on this career path, the first thing you will need is a dental hygienist education. It is crucial to get your education at an accredited program. There are very many dental hygienist schools that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Dental Hygienist Education Options
There are several education options. You can enroll in a two-year associate degree program. This is the most popular option and is usually the minimum education requirement for most states. You can also take a four-year bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree may offer better career prospects than an associate degree and a better dental hygienist salary.
A dental hygiene program provides graduates with the skills necessary for provision of oral healthcare. After completion of the program, graduates are ready to practice clinical dental hygiene.
Admission into a program is highly competitive. Admission requirements are different for different schools but usually include a high school diploma, a good average score in high school, high school courses in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and English, and good college entrance test scores.
While acquiring a dental hygienist education some of the courses you will study include physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, oral pathology, periodontology, microbiology, nutrition, clinical dental hygiene, dental hygiene instrumentation and dental materials. These courses are related to dentistry. However, your education will also include other courses like social sciences, mathematics, psychology, sociology and English.
To graduate, students are supposed to participate in ‘clinicals’ which are on-the-job training at a dentist’s office which is to gain practical experience before graduation. There are many study options. You can enroll in a full-time semester-based course which is the most popular option, or a part-time course which can be done through distance learning. Once you have completed your study program and clinical, you will need to sit and pass state examinations.
