Dental Hygiene, BS
Choose a rewarding career that helps people live healthier lives.
Why Study Dental Hygiene?
Dental hygienists are an important part of the dental health team. They work with dentists to meet the oral health needs of patients and improve patients' quality of life.
Dental hygiene is a rewarding and challenging career that offers a wealth of benefits, including competitive salaries, flexible schedules and the opportunity to make a difference in patients' lives by educating them about the importance of oral health.
Why Study Dental Hygiene at UNMC?
You'll discover a small class size in a close-knit, supportive environment. Each student receives personalized guidance and mentoring from our extraordinary faculty members.
You'll gain invaluable experience as you learn the practice of dental hygiene while treating a diverse patient population. You'll work in clinics alongside dental students, gaining hands-on experience while building relationships with patients. Our community outreach programs will allow you to help those in need while practicing your clinical and communication skills.
Our students lead cutting-edge, award-winning research projects with guidance from our faculty. You'll have opportunities to present your research findings at national meetings. Student organizations offer you a variety of local, regional and national professional development and social activities, as well as opportunities to take on local, regional and national leadership roles.
Each year, our dental hygiene students typically receive more than $130,000 in scholarships.
Program Snapshot
Course Load
Duration
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Program Highlights
Plan of Study
You'll study topics including clinical techniques, clinical dental radiology, community dental health, dental anatomy, dental materials, oral pathology, research methodology and sedation. You'll also gain skills in critical thinking and problem-solving, oral health assessment and preventative treatment planning and patient communication.
Hands-On Learning Experiences
You'll have a wide variety of hands-on learning opportunities outside the classroom to practice clinical procedures and engage in professional development experiences. You'll work alongside dental students and specialists to provide patient care in the college's Lincoln and Omaha clinics, treat underserved children in Nebraska public schools through the college's sealant program and provide care at community health centers, nursing homes, rural private practices and more through extramural rotations.
Prerequisites
Preparation for admission to the dental hygiene program consists of approximately two academic years of study, which may be completed at any accredited college.
Careers and Outcomes
Dental hygiene is a growing profession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts employment of dental hygienists to grow 6% from 2019-29, faster than the average for all occupations.
Job Opportunities
- Dental offices
- Offices of dental specialists
- Public health agencies
- Community health clinics
- Hospitals
- Research
- Teaching
- Oral health industry sales
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