Northern Arizona University

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN DENTAL HYGIENE

BS in Dental Hygiene

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene is a four year program which includes two years of prerequisite course work and two years of professional education. In addition to the basic curriculum, students may elect independent study courses in dental hygiene education, research, public health or other areas of interest. Classes are web enhanced.

If you are a high school student...your high school studies should include biology, chemistry and algebra. 

If you plan to complete prerequisite coursework at NAU...you must complete university admissions procedures. Acceptance to the University does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the Dental Hygiene Program. However, you will benefit from the expertise of a special advisor to ensure selection of appropriate courses. 

If you are completing prerequisite coursework at another institution...contact Dee Washington at Dee.Washington@nau.edu. A faculty advisor will guide your selection of transferable courses. If you are accepted into the Dental Hygiene Program, regular NAU admission procedures will also need to be completed. 

The Program 

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Since the first graduating class, in 1975, the program has earned a nationwide reputation for educating professionals with excellent skills and judgment. 

Students benefit from a well-rounded education by following the unique "one-plus-three" curriculum, in which they complete one year of prerequisites before being accepted to the three-year Dental Hygiene Program. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and are eligible to take regional and national board examinations. 

Classes are taught by basic scientists, hygienists and dentists who have received advanced education in their teaching areas. The program also features guest lecturers, including dental hygienists working in specialty areas, periodontists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, endodontists and pediatric dentists, all of whom contribute the latest information on dental health issues and techniques. 

The program admits a pre determined number of students each year, allowing individualized instruction in the classroom and the clinic.

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Clinical Practice and Internships

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Students learn to treat medically compromised, home-bound and developmentally disabled patients using portable dental equipment. They also complete a minimum three-week internship in a public health dental facility serving American Indian, military, or underserved populations throughout Arizona and in selected sites outside Arizona. International internship opportunities are also available. Students attending NAU may also apply for the federal COSTEP program, which allows senior-level health professional students to work, with pay, in a public health facility for a thirty- to ninety- day period during the summer.

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Facilities 

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Students in the Dental Hygiene Program are educated in well-equipped clinical facilities. An 18 chair clinic and dental laboratory are used to develop and practice all dental hygiene procedures currently established under law. Radiographic technique is taught in a 5 chair facility, which includes an automatic processor and a panoramic x-ray machine. For students' convenience, the Department of Dental Hygiene provides lockers for books, uniforms, and equipment. The comfortably furnished student seminar/computer center has a beautiful view of the San Francisco Peaks and is a pleasant place to access web classes and study between classes. 

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For further information, contact:
Department of Dental Hygiene
Health Professions Building, Room 202
P.O. Box 15065
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5065
Phone: (928) 523-5122 

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