You’ve thought it over for hours, and now you’ve decided that you want to go into the field of dental hygiene and you may have even decided on which dental hygiene colleges are right for you.
However, if you have not looked at the requirements, then you will not know if you will even be able to get into dental hygiene college in order to pursue your career. Below you will find a list of requirements for dental hygiene colleges may have (although the requirements will vary from school to school, it’s important that you check with each individual school before applying).
You will be required to have either a high school diploma or GED. As proof, you will have to submit your high school transcripts to the dental hygiene colleges you are applying to. They prefer students to have completed some health and biology courses while in high school, so think back over your high school career about any classes that you may have taken in these areas.
Accredited Dental Hygiene Colleges
Also, make sure that the dental hygiene colleges you are applying to are accredited by the American Dental Association. Once accepted, you will be required to take either a two year associates degree program or a four year baccalaureate program.
This will be followed by taking a hygiene exam given by the ADA. If your program is not ADA accredited, you can still get a job, but it will be much more difficult.
All Requirements for Dental Hygiene Colleges
In dental hygiene colleges, you will be required to take several basic courses, such as the following:
- Speech- in this class, you will do exactly as the name says. You will learn to give speeches, which will help with your communication skills. Being able to communicate well is necessary for anyone who aspires to be a dental hygienist.
- Psychology- this is another good class for anyone who will be working with people to take. It focuses on how people process thoughts and feelings, which can help you relate to the people you will be working with.
- Sociology- the study of society. This is another good class that will help you relate to people, a skill anyone who works with people closely needs to be able to do well.
- Nutrition- since you will be working with the human body, you will have to take nutrition to learn what the body needs to be healthy.
- Chemistry- this will be like your high school chemistry class, but much more in depth.
- Biology- this will be like chemistry. It will be the same subject as your high school class, but more difficult and in depth than before. Since studying to be a hygienist is a science related field, you will be required to take both this class and chemistry.
- You will also need these specialized courses in dental hygiene colleges to become a hygienist:
- Oral Physiology- in this class, you will study the teeth, how they work, and their structure.
- Dental Radiology- you will learn how to X-ray teeth and how to protect yourself and others from radiation.
- Local Anesthesia- you may have to administer a local anesthetic from time to time, and this class will show you how it’s done.
These are a few of the requirements if you choose to go to any dental hygienist colleges. Now that you know more about the requirements for dental hygiene colleges, you may be better able to decide if this career is right for you.
