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Dental Hygienist Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a dental hygienist. Dental hygienists usually study dental assisting, biology, or health sciences and services. 71% of dental hygienists hold a associate degree, and 25% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 24,062 real dental hygienist resumes to see exactly what dental hygienist education sections show.
The most common colleges for dental hygienists are the Ferris State University and the Ferris State University.
There are also many online dental hygienist courses to help get the education required to be a dental hygienist.
There are certain dental hygienist certifications that you should consider. These dental hygienist certifications include Dental Assistant (RDA) and Certified Dental Technician.
What education do you need to become a dental hygienist?
What degree do you need to be a dental hygienist?
- Associate, 71%
- Bachelor's, 25%
- Master's, 1%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a dental hygienist?
- Dental Assisting, 85%
- Biology, 2%
- Liberal Arts, 1%
- Other Majors, 11%
Most common colleges for dental hygienists
| Dental Hygienist Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Ferris State University | 9.04% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 7.63% |
| University of Bridgeport | 6.78% |
| Miami Dade College | 6.43% |
| New York University | 6.36% |
Best majors for dental hygienists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dental Assisting | 85.4% |
| 2 | Biology | 1.8% |
| 3 | Health Sciences And Services | 1.4% |
| 4 | Liberal Arts | 1.4% |
| 5 | General Studies | 1.4% |
Best colleges for dental hygienists
The best colleges for dental hygienists are University of Pittsburgh, Boston University, and SUNY at Buffalo.
A dental hygienist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for dental hygienists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become dental hygienists.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
20 best online courses for dental hygienists
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1. Introduction to Dental Medicine
The mouth is the window into human health. This course provides an overview of dental medicine to engage, educate, excite and assist you in improving the oral health of your patients and members of your community. We will review topics in dental medicine including scope of the field, what to expect in function, and some of the many ways that dysfunction may present for different patients. This will include discussions of mouth, jaw, and tooth anatomy, pathology, and treatment. We will talk...
2. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
3. Modern Dental Extractions - Fast, Painless, & Non-invasive
The goal is less trauma and less drama! This is an update that teaches superior methods for atraumatic extractions...
4. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners
Learn how to fully design a water treatment system for small to medium scale projects...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
6. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
7. Water Treatment Process Design
design water treatment& RO/NF plants, sand& multimedia filter, iron& manganese removal filter, Ion exchange DI& softener...
8. Introduction to Medical Imaging
Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...
9. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...
10. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
11. IASTM Deep Tissue Massage Certificate Course
Learn instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), a popular Myofascial Massage treatment (2 CEUs)...
12. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
13. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
14. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
15. How to Read Chest X-Ray - From Zero to Hero
Master reading CXR entirely from the very basics until professionality with tens of examples & quizzes...
16. Deep Tissue Massage: Neuromuscular Therapy Certificate
Neuromuscular Therapy is a highly effective form of Deep Tissue Massage for pain relief (2 CEUs)...
17. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
18. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...
19. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
20. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
Top 10 most affordable universities for dental hygienists
The most affordable schools for dental hygienists are SUNY Farmingdale, clayton state university, and augusta university.
If the best universities for dental hygienists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for dental hygienists.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,419
Cost of Attendance
17,697
3. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,604
Cost of Attendance
20,618
4. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,233
Cost of Attendance
18,110
5. National University College - Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,675
Cost of Attendance
12,941
6. Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,879
Cost of Attendance
21,223
7. Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,410
Cost of Attendance
20,699
8. University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,633
Cost of Attendance
19,235
9. New York City College of Technology of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,120
Cost of Attendance
13,997
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,099
Cost of Attendance
24,568
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for dental hygienists
The hardest universities for dental hygienists to get into are University of Pittsburgh, Boston University, and SUNY at Buffalo.
Some great schools for dental hygienists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for dental hygienists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
59%
SAT Average
1,367
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
3. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
56%
SAT Average
1,250
4. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
60%
SAT Average
1,303
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
6. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
80%
SAT Average
1,172
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
46%
SAT Average
1,091
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions Rate
23%
SAT Average
1,434
9. Creighton University
Omaha, NE • Private
Admissions Rate
71%
SAT Average
1,276
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions Rate
23%
SAT Average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for dental hygienists
The easiest schools for dental hygienists to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, augusta university, and purdue university fort wayne.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a dental hygienist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for dental hygienists.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions Rate
96%
SAT Average
1,139
2. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
80%
SAT Average
1,172
3. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions Rate
97%
SAT Average
1,080
4. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
71%
SAT Average
1,033
5. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,093
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
46%
SAT Average
1,091
7. SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
997
8. Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
72%
SAT Average
1,124
9. Albany State University
Albany, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
865
10. MCPHS University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
93%
SAT Average
1,144
Average dental hygienist salary by education level
| Dental Hygienist education level | Dental Hygienist salary |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $116,130 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $106,794 |
Dental Hygienist Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025