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Career Colleges    » California    » Health, Medical, and Nursing     » Dental Hygienist

California Dental Hygienist Degrees

Dental Hygienist Degrees: California Colleges

Looking for accredited career colleges, technical schools, and universities in California offering Dental Hygienist degrees. Ready to enter the dental hygiene profession? Academic programs provided by community colleges, technical colleges, dental schools or universities

Attending a California college should be an easy decision. After all, the Golden State has something for everyone. The educational quality is some of the highest in the nation, if not the world, and the after-college activities are endless. Within a four-hour drive in any direction you can be hiking some of the highest peaks in North America, driving through the furnace-like heat of Death Valley, losing your heart in immortally beautiful San Franciso, wandering dreamily through ferny forests crowned with 300-foot redwoods, rubbing shoulders with celebrities in L.A., or diving into the wild and welcoming surf of the great Pacific ocean.

California Colleges: Dental Hygienist Degrees

Do I Want to Be a Dental Hygienist?

Dental hygienists are oral health professionals who work under the supervision of licensed dentists. Along with teaching patients proper oral hygiene, they may conduct patient assessments, oral inspections and teeth cleanings. Hygienists often work in general and specialty dental clinics but may also find employment in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.

Dental hygienists receive their education through academic programs at community colleges, technical colleges, dental schools or universities. The majority of community college programs take at least two years to complete, with graduates receiving associate degrees. Upon completion of this degree, a hygienist will have to take the license examinations (national and state or regional), become licensed and to work in a dental office.

University-based dental hygiene programs may offer baccalaureate and master's degrees, which generally require at least two years of further schooling. These additional degrees may be required for a career in teaching and/or research, as well as for clinical practice in school or public health programs.

Dental hygiene program admission requirements vary depending upon the specific school. Additionally, these programs include courses in liberal arts (eg, English, speech, sociology and psychology); basic sciences (eg, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, immunology, chemistry, microbiology and pathology); and clinical sciences (eg, dental hygiene, radiology and dental materials). After completion of a dental hygiene program, dental hygienists can choose to pursue additional training in such areas as education, business administration, basic sciences, marketing and public health.

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