Dental Hygiene Education Facts

Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases in order to protect the oral cavity, and also to protect the patients' total health. They are graduates of accredited dental hygiene education programs in colleges and universities, and must pass a written national board examination and a clinical examination to obtain state licensure.

Dental Hygiene Education Programs

• A dental hygiene education requires an average of 86 credit hours for an associate degree, or 122 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree.

• The majority of programs (86%) are semester-based and 40% include summer study. 

• Few programs (15%) offer a part-time curriculum and 36% offer at least some opportunities for distance learning.  Master’s degree and degree completion programs are most likely to offer distance learning. 

• Dental Hygiene entry-level programs are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).  (CODA Website)

• Dental hygiene degrees are offered in a variety of institutional settings.

Preparation and Admission to Entry-Level Programs

• Admission requirements and prerequisites vary from institution to institution, but generally include:   high school diploma or GED;  high school courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology, English  minimum “C” average in high school  college entrance test scores  typically up to 40 credit hours of prerequisite college courses in chemistry, English, speech, psychology and sociology; dependent on the institution, a personal interview, dexterity test, and/or essay

• 77% of dental hygiene programs use college science GPA as part of the criteria in admissions procedures; 73% include overall college GPA as admissions criteria.

• The majority of dental hygiene programs (93%) have limited enrollment.
Admission to a program is typically highly competitive. In 2006, programs reported 25% of students applying for admission to associate programs were admitted, while 33% of students applying to baccalaureate programs were admitted.

• 50% of programs responded that they offer advanced placement.
More information go to adha.org

Wisconsin Dental Hygiene Programs

Chippewa Valley Technical College   Date Submitted: 11/03/2007
Dental Department
Dental Hygiene Program
620 West Clairemont Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54701-0000
Pam Entorf, RDH, BS — Dental Hygiene Program Director
Phone: (715) 833-6506 Ext.:  Fax: (715) 833-6447
Email Address: pentorf@cvtc.edu
Web Site: www.cvtc.edu/pages/1.asp
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Fox Valley Technical College    Date Submitted: 10/28/2008
Dental Department
Dental Hygiene Program
1825 N. Bluemound Drive, Box 2277
Appleton, WI 54912-2277
Joan D. Rohrer, RDH, BS — Dental Hygiene Program Director
Phone: (920) 735-2452 Ext.:  Fax: (920) 831-4314
Email Address: rohrer@fvtc.edu
Web Site: http://www.fvtc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Madison Area Technical College   Date Submitted: 11/12/2008
Health Occupation Department
Dental Hygiene Program
211 N. Carroll St.
Madison, WI 53703-2285
E. Lynn Goetsch, RDH, MS — Program Director
Phone: (608) 258-2470 Ext.:  Fax: (608) 258-2482
Email Address: egoetsch@matcmadison.edu
Web Site: www.matcmadison.edu/matc/
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Milwaukee Area Technical College   Date Submitted: 11/09/2008
Dental Hygiene Program
Health Occupation Department
700 W. State St.
Milwaukee, WI 53233-0000
Laurie J. Klos, RDH — Instructional Chair
Phone: (414) 297-7126 Ext.:  Fax: (414) 297-7205
Email Address: KlosL@matc.edu
Web Site: www.matc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AAS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Northcentral Technical College   Date Submitted: 10/28/2008
Dental Hygiene Program
1000 W. Campus Drive
Wausau, WI 54401-0000
Michelle Hilts, RDH, BS, MAE — Program Director
Phone: (715) 675-3331 Ext.: 1329 Fax: (715) 675-3772
Email Address: hilts@ntc.edu
Web Site: www.ntc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AAS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College  Date Submitted: 11/12/2008
Health Sciences Division
Dental Hygiene Program
2740 W. Mason St. - P.O. Box 19042
Green Bay, WI 54307-9042
Sheila J. Gross, RDH, MS — Program Director, Dental Hygiene Program
Phone: (920) 498-6839 Ext.:  Fax: (920) 498-6890
Email Address: sheila.gross@nwtc.edu
Web Site: www.nwtc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AAS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Waukesha County Technical College   Date Submitted: 10/27/2008
Service and Health Occupations
Dental Hygiene Program
800 Main Street
Pewaukee, WI 53072-0000
Pamela A. Brilowski, RDH, BSDH, MS — Dental Hygiene Program Director
Phone: (262) 691-5561 Ext.:  Fax: (262) 691-5077
Email Address: pbrilowski@wctc.edu
Web Site: www.wctc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AAS
Baccalaureate: N/A

Western Technical College  Date Submitted: 10/27/2008
Dental Department
Dental Hygiene Program
P. O. Box C-0908
La Crosse, WI 54602-0908
Barb Jerue, RDH — Dental Hygiene Program Director
Phone: (608) 785-9843 Ext.:  Fax: (608) 785-9299
Email Address: jerueb@westerntc.edu
Web Site: www.westerntc.edu
Degrees Awarded
 Certificate: N/A
Associate: AAS
Baccalaureate: N/A