Dental Hygiene

As a Dental Hygienist, you'll be part of an oral health care team that provides professional treatment and advice to help people prevent or halt existing dental diseases and support total wellness.

The full-time, two year Dental Hygiene program prepares you to be a health promotion specialist on the oral health care team as well as a competent clinician and community health advocate. In a small classroom environment, you'll acquire the knowledge and skills needed to provide preventative, educational and therapeutic dental hygiene services. You'll also learn to evaluate research, communicate professionally and practice collaboratively with dentists and other health care professionals.

There are generally 24 seats offered each year in September. The two-year Dental Hygiene program follows a foundational year of university transfer courses and takes place at our Lansdowne Campus.

We will help you succeed!

The Diploma in Dental Hygiene will provide you with the educational base you'll need to succeed in the important field of oral health. Dental Hygienists work in a number of settings including general and specialty dental offices, dental hygiene clinics, residential care facilities, hospitals, community health agencies and educational institutions. Dental hygienist also work within the dental industry as educators and sales representatives.

The Dental Hygiene faculty is made up of talented and dedicated dental hygienists with advanced degrees in Education or Dental Hygiene. Additionally there are several part-time faculty with advanced degrees.

Continuing your studies is easy as the Diploma program transfers directly into two Degree programs. You can complete the final year of the Baccalaureate Degree of Science in Dental Hygiene at the University of British Columbia or the University of Alberta or obtain a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Thompson Rivers University.

Accreditation

The program is recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), which was established in 1988 by the Canadian Dental Association as an autonomous body responsible for accrediting dental, dental hygiene and dental assisting education programs in Canada. Accreditation is a non-governmental, peer review process that measures education programs and hospital dental services against predetermined national requirements or standards, respectively. CDAC acts as a partner with the profession, educational institutions and health facilities to protect and further the public interest through the accreditation process.

Learn more about the dental hygiene practice through the British Columbia Dental Hygienists Association.