Dental Hygienist:Dental Hygienist Degree Opportunities

Students can learn how to help individuals achieve proper dental health by completing a centralized learning program from a vocational school. Several educational options exist in this field of study but students wanting to become a dental hygienist need to complete a vocational training program.

The admission and dental hygiene prerequisites vary among schools, but generally require that applicants are at least 18 years old; have a high school diploma or GED; have a minimum “C” average in high school, with courses in mathematics, chemistry and biology; and, acceptable college entrance test scores. Additionally, some schools may require prerequisite courses in chemistry, English, speech, psychology and sociology before beginning the core courses.

They also rank among the fastest growing occupations in response to increasing demand for dental care and an increased use of hygienists to perform services formerly done only by dentists. Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will keep jobs prospects on the rise for dental hygienists. Also, as dentists’ become increasingly busy, they are predicted to hire more hygienists to perform preventive dental care, such as cleaning.

Dental Hygiene Prerequisites Categories- The courses associated with dental hygiene prerequisites vary, depending on the type of degree or certificate you want to receive. The following list outlines the areas of instruction offered for each level of education. General education includes English, speech, psychology and sociology. These are basic course which are part of all types of program curricula. Basic science courses include general chemistry, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, nutrition, and pharmacology. These dental hygiene prerequisites begin to lay the foundation of understanding the human body and its functions.

Dental science courses include dental anatomy, head and neck anatomy, oral embryology and histology, oral pathology, radiology, periodontology, pain control and dental materials. The student transcends to understand the relationship between the human anatomy and the dental structure. Dental emergencies courses are basic life support, legal and ethical aspects of the Dental Hygienist practice, and supervised instruction in pre-clinical and clinical practice. This category of dental hygiene prerequisites deals with handling emergency situations. The student also receives hands-on practice which is necessary to fulfill dental hygiene prerequisites

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