Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene

Earn Your Dental Hygiene Degree in Maine

Do you want to serve your community by practicing in the rewarding field of oral disease prevention? At our on-campus clinic, you will learn from expert faculty while gaining hands-on experience with patients from the local area. With our emphasis on teamwork across health care professions, you will emerge from SWAG��Ƶ’s Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree program with in-depth knowledge of your field and ready to practice comprehensive care that will put smiles on your patients’ faces.

If you already hold an associate degree in dental hygiene, you may join our completion program to earn a four-year bachelor's degree and enjoy the expanded professional opportunities it brings.

Visit SWAG��Ƶ How to Apply

A dental hygiene student checks the facial and neck lymph nodes of a patient

A dental hygiene student practices cleaning the teeth of a patient

Why SWAG��Ƶ for your B.S. in Dental Hygiene

SWAG��Ƶ is the #1 college in Maine for graduates getting jobs — Zippia
SWAG��Ƶ is Maine’s leading health University and the #1 provider of health professionals for the state
Begin a meaningful, secure career of helping others
Start with two years of foundational studies on the gorgeous coastal Biddeford Campus
Your final two years of clinical study will be on our Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, building skills in our modern, on-campus dental hygiene clinic
You’ll feel supported in our welcoming community and through our low faculty-to-student ratio
Collaborative learning and practice opportunities with dentistry students

The teachers are very friendly and genuine; they are always willing to help and give great advice, and they have especially made me feel great about my decision to become a dental hygienist.

— Heather Barker

Read what SWAG��Ƶ students say about our B.S. in Dental Hygiene

What Will You Study? Dental Hygiene Degree Curriculum Overview

The following are just some examples of the exciting courses that the Dental Hygiene major offers:

Oral Pathology
Radiology
Community Health
Medical Emergencies
Pharmacology
Pain Management

Curriculum

WCHP Common Requirements	Credits
BIO 104/104L – General Biology w/Lab	4
BIO 208/208L – Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology I w/Lab	4
BIO 209/209L – Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology II w/Lab	4
BIO 242/242L – Applied Microbiology w/Lab	4
BIO 309 – Pathophysiology	3
CHE 130/130L – Principles of Chemistry w/Lab	4
DEN 201 – Histology and Embryology	2
ENG 110 – English Composition	4
IHS 130 – Interprofessional Health Care First Year Experience	3
IHS 210 – Methods of Scholarly Inquiry	3
IHS 310 – Ethics for Interprofessional Practice	3
MAT 120 – Statistics	3
NUTR 220 – Nutrition	3
PSY 105 – Introduction to Psychology	3
PSY 250 – Lifespan Development	3
SOC 150 – Introduction to Sociology	3
SPC 100 – Effective Public Speaking	3
One (1) Creative Arts Course (with prefix ARH, ART, or MUS)	3
One (1) 276 or 278 Human Traditions Course with the following prefix: ARH, ENG, HIS, LIL, PHI, PSC, or REL	3
Total Credits	62

Program Required Courses	Credits
DEN 100 – Introduction to Dental Hygiene	1
DEN 303 – Dental Hygiene Theory I	2
DEN 304 – Dental Hygiene Theory II	2
DEN 309 – Dental Hygiene Clinic I	4
DEN 312 – Dental Hygiene Clinic II	2
DEN 322/322L – Radiology w/Lab	3
DEN 325/325L – Preservation of Tooth Structure w/Lab	3
DEN 332 – Community Health I	2
DEN 334 – Community Health II	2
DEN 338 – Medical Emergencies	1
DEN 341 – Oral Anatomy	2
DEN 342 – Head and Neck Anatomy	2
DEN 403 – Dental Hygiene Theory III	1
DEN 404 – Dental Hygiene Theory IV	1
DEN 410 – Dental Hygiene Clinic III	4
DEN 411 – Dental Hygiene Clinic IV	4
DEN 422 – Leadership	2
DEN 425 – Periodontology I	3
DEN 435 – Periodontology II	3
DEN 442 – Pharmacology	2
DEN 445 – Special Care I	2
DEN 446 – Special Care II	2
DEN 452 – Oral Pathology	3
DEN 456 – Pain Management	3
Total Credits	56
Open Electives (as needed to reach 120 credits)	Variable

Minimum Total Required Credits	120

A student in the Dental Hygiene major may elect to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in Health Sciences. This degree is only open to matriculated students at the SWAG��Ƶ. Special permission from the student’s advisor and the Dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions is required for enrollment in the B.S. with a major in Health Sciences.

To learn more about the program view the Academic Catalog.

Meet our faculty and professional staff

Take a Tour of Our Dental Hygiene Facilities

Career Paths for Dental Hygiene Majors

Equipped with the critical thinking skills developed as part of your liberal arts foundation, your theoretical knowledge of dental hygiene, and the practical and interpersonal expertise you acquire through clinical work with patients and other health care professionals, you will be well on your way to a rewarding career as a dental hygienist. You may work in clinical or administrative roles in corporate, nonprofit, educational, or public health settings, such as:

Private Dental Practices
Health Service Corps
Clinics and Hospitals
Nursing Homes
Private Businesses (Sales and Development)
Schools
Public Health Agencies

Scope of Practice

Dental hygienists work in a host of different settings and under varying levels of supervision. Each state enacts its own laws determining the services dental hygienists can provide, the settings in which they can practice, and the supervision under which they practice.

Permitted functions and supervision requirements vary widely by state. To verify any of these requirements contact your state’s dental board. The Oral Health Workforce Research Center also offer an interesting overview of the variation in dental hygiene scope of practice by state.

Career Advising in the Dental Hygiene Program

Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.

Dental Hygiene Careers By The Numbers

20%

expected rate of dental hygienist job growth from 2016 to 2026

41,000

New hygienist jobs expected to open in U.S. between 2016 and 2026

Interested in our Dental Hygiene program?

Apply

Experiential Education in Dental Hygiene

Gain knowledge, skills, and confidence
Practice technique in the Dental Simulation Lab
Serve a diverse population at the on-campus Coleman Clinic
Provide a wide range of patient services

Medical Emergency Training for Dental Hygiene Students

Dental Hygiene students work with Dental Medicine students in the Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center training for medical emergencies.

Interprofessional Education

As a student in SWAG��Ƶ's Dental Hygiene program, you have the unique opportunity to collaborate with students in a wide range of different health professions programs to provide quality, patient-centered care. You will continue to use these interprofessional team-based learning skills in your clinical workplace after you graduate. Reap the personal and professional benefits of graduating from one of only a handful of private universities with a comprehensive health care mission.

No matter your major there's always a chance to learn something new and use it in your professional career. We all want to help others, and learning from one another is the best way to do so.” — Baylee Flemming, RDH ’21