Introduction

The University of Colorado Denver (UCD) School of Dental Medicine provides the only program of study leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene in the state of Colorado. A baccalaureate degree in Dental Hygiene may afford a greater amount of flexibility than will the associate degree. Deciding whether to obtain the associate or baccalaureate degree is a personal decision and should be a decision on which type of program best meets students’ needs and career goals.

The UCD School of Dental Medicine’s Dental Hygiene Program has been recognized as one of the leading dental hygiene programs in the country. Our program has established a reputation for personalized quality of its educational experience and for its accomplished, successful graduates. The School of Dental Medicine enrolled its first class in 1973 and presently enrolls 18 dental hygiene students annually. The small class size of the school is an asset to the teaching and learning processes.

Dental Hygiene is a rapidly growing and increasingly dynamic profession for qualified persons who wish to participate as active members of a health profession. Dental Hygienists are continually assuming a greater range of responsibility, and the profession offers an interesting and challenging career.

Mission Statement and Goals

The mission of the UCD School of Dental Medicine Department of Dental Hygiene, as an integral part of the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus as well as the greater University, is to provide programs of excellence in teaching, research, patient care and community/professional service for Colorado and the nation.

The program will prepare dental hygiene graduates who possess the knowledge, skills and values to provide optimal dental hygiene care through demonstrated competence as defined by the "Dental Hygiene Program Competencies" document.
Graduates of the program will exhibit values for lifelong learning and critical thinking as a means of providing current, evidence-based oral health care. Faculty and students will engage in scholarly activities that will positively impact oral and systemic health.
The program's clinical oral health care program will provide quality comprehensive dental hygiene care and enable access to comprehensive quality dental care through either the dental school of outside referrals. The focus of care will be preventive wellness with the intended outcome of satisfied patient/client consumers able to obtain and maintain optimal oral hygiene through a combined educational and treatment approach.
Graduates of the dental hygiene program will exhibit a positive attitude about their educational experience and serve as ambassadors for the program and profession at large.
The program will support and conduct research activities that contribute to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. This will both contribute to the quality of the faculty and advance contemporary dental hygiene theory and practice.
The program will serve as a resource for the community and the profession. Continuing education programs will be provided for the external dental/dental hygiene community in order to disseminate new knowledge.
The program will respect and preserve its human resources by recruiting and retaining quality faculty, staff, and students; and by creating a humanistic atmosphere where diversity is valued.

Career Opportunities

Many people first meet dental hygienists in private dental offices where dental hygienists perform many critical services including prevention, detection, and treatment of diseases of the mouth. Teaching people how to attain and maintain oral health is the goal of dental hygiene care. Education at the baccalaureate level enhances the dental hygienist’s opportunities, abilities, background, and values.

A career as a Hygienist offers multiple opportunities to work in a variety of settings including private dental practices, research, education, pharmaceutical sales or businesses, health maintenance organizations or long-term care facilities, in a hospital setting, veterinary dentistry, government agency; military base, or in another country. Dental hygienists must have a strong science background and demonstrate critical thinking skills in order to provide comprehensive dental hygiene care in these varied settings. Dental hygienists have the opportunity to provide care for a diversity of individuals, and to interact with other health care providers.

The Dental Hygienist in a clinical setting may:

Perform oral health assessments and treatment planning
Provide nutritional counseling and self-care programs to prevent disease
Examine head, neck, and oral regions for disease
Expose and process X rays and perform other diagnostic tests
Provide therapeutic services to prevent gum diseases and cavities; for example: remove deposits from teeth and apply sealants and fluoride to prevent decay
Perform oral cancer and blood pressure screenings
Provide oral health instructions
Place and remove temporary fillings and periodontal dressings
Remove sutures

Note: In some states, with additional education, a dental hygienist may also provide other services such as administering local anesthetics and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia, placing and carving of filling materials, and additional periodontal procedures.

See Admission Requirements

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