Dental Hygiene (BS)

What is A Dental Hygiene (BS) Degree?

Individuals who work in the dental health field are committed to educating and treating patients to maintain and improve their teeth and surrounding tissue.  Dental hygienists clean and polish teeth, looking for any signs of gum disease, and take x-rays for the Dentist’s use.  They also apply various chemical treatments to teeth, educate patients on good dental habits, and keep records of dental treatments.  You can work as a Dental Hygienist with an Associate’s degree and any required license.  If you want to have greater job opportunities, including those in public and school health, you’ll need the Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene.  With a BS degree in the field, you can go into education, training students in Dental Hygiene programs, or working with a corporation that handles dental-related products.

The BS program includes the same coursework that students at the Associate’s level get–a combination of classroom, laboratory, and clinical hand-on work—plus you’ll also take two years of general education, elective, and science courses.  You can opt to begin your training in the BS degree program, or you can also complete the BS degree by earning the AAS in Dental Hygiene degree first and then enrolling in a BS completion program.  That’s one way to be able to work in the field while completing the Bachelor’s degree.