B.S. in Dental Hygiene Completion Program

Complete Your Dental Hygiene Degree in Maine

Do you already hold an associate degree in dental hygiene and want to sharpen your skills? Do you want to explore a broader range of careers in community health, health administration, research, or education while increasing your earning potential? This program opens the door to a wealth of opportunities, providing the kind of collaborative learning across multiple health professions that you can only find in a comprehensive health sciences university. From our state-of-the-art dental simulation lab to our on-campus community clinic, internships, and global opportunities, UNE gives you all the right tools to obtain the profession of your dreams.

A dental hygiene student practices taking the x-ray of teeth in a model of a skull
A dental hygiene student performs a teeth cleaning on a patient

Why UNE for your Dental Hygiene Completion Program

As a university that offers a full range of health professions disciplines, UNE gives you an advantage in today’s modern, team-based health care industry. Internationally recognized for our commitment to interprofessional education, we prepare you for the type of collaborative care that patients appreciate and that employers expect.

  • On-campus dental hygiene clinic that serves the community
  • Interprofessional learning with students from other health professions
  • Internships for added on-the-job experiences
  • Collaborative practice models with student dentists
  • Dental Simulation Lab in Innovation Hall
  • Opportunities for global travel

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 UNE students say about our B.S. in Dental Hygiene

What will you study? Dental Hygiene Degree Curriculum Overview

UNE’s Dental Hygiene B.S. Completion Program is accredited by the American Dental Association.

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

  • Ethics for Interprofessional Practice
  • Leadership
  • Self-Designed Courses
  • Professional Elective
  • Cross-Cultural Travel Opportunities

Curriculum

Dental Hygiene Degree CompletionCredits
Maximum Transfer Credits85
WCHP Common RequirementsCredits
BIO 309 – Pathophysiology3
MAT 120 – Statistics3
One (1) 276 or 278 Human Traditions with the following prefix: ARH, ENG, HIS, LIL, PHI, PSC, or REL3
One (1) Advanced Studies Course3
One (1) Creative Arts Course3
One (1) Social Global Awareness Course3
Total Credits18
Program Required CoursesCredits
DEN 406 – Current Concepts in Dental Hygiene3
DEN 422 – Leadership2
DEN 490 – Internship/Experiential Learning3
IHS 310 – Ethics for Interprofessional Practice3
Professional Electives (300-level or higher)*6*
Total Credits17
Minimum Total Required Credit120

*Additional elective credit will be required if transfer coursework is less than eighty-five (85) credits.

MEET OUR FACULTY AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Our Dental Hygiene Facilities

  • Twenty-chair on-campus clinic, serving 5,000 patients per year
  • State-of-the-art steri-center
  • Five-chair suite with five X-ray operatories in the on-campus Oral Health Center
  • On-campus Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center with high-fidelity patient simulators and patient actors

 Take a Tour of Our Dental Hygiene Facilities

Career Paths for Dental Hygiene Completion Program Majors

This program prepares you for a broad range of careers in dental hygiene, public health, administration, research, or teaching or for graduate study in fields such as dental medicine and public health. 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. View the ADHA’s permitted functions and supervision levels by state (PDF)

Career Advising in the Dental Hygiene Completion 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

Experiential Learning

Hands-on Learning

  • 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
  • Complete internships in schools, nursing homes, community agencies, or private practices

Interprofessional Education

  • Prepare to excel in modern, team-based care in UNE’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative
  • Work with students in a wide range of different health professions programs to provide quality, patient-centered care
  • Reap the personal and professional benefits of graduating from one of only a handful of private universities with a comprehensive health care mission