Why UNE for Your B.S. in Dental Hygiene
- UNE is the #1 college in Maine for graduates getting jobs — Zippia
- UNE 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
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
To see the full curriculum, view the academic catalog.
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. View the ADHA’s permitted functions and supervision levels by state (PDF)
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
expected rate of dental hygienist job growth from 2016 to 2026
New hygienist jobs expected to open in U.S. between 2016 and 2026
Learn in State-of-the-Art Dental Facilities
UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences is home to exceptional learning environments that allow you to build clinical skills, gain confidence, and prepare for collaborative practice.
Coleman Dental Hygiene Clinic
As a student clinician in the Coleman Dental Hygiene Clinic, you'll gain valuable hands-on experience working directly with patients under the supervision of experienced faculty. In this real-world clinical setting, you'll provide a wide range of preventive and educational services, including oral health assessments, nutritional counseling, scaling and plaque removal, sealant placement, radiographs (X-rays), fluoride treatments, blood pressure screenings, oral hygiene instruction, and athletic mouthguard fabrication. Working with a diverse patient population helps you strengthen both your clinical abilities and the interpersonal skills essential to patient-centered care.
Oral Health Center
UNE’s Oral Health Center serves as both a teaching clinic and a dental simulation facility designed to support innovative, interprofessional health care education. Shared with UNE's College of Dental Medicine, the Center provides opportunities to learn in a collaborative environment and explore new models of team-based care. As a Dental Hygiene student, you'll have opportunities to work alongside Dental Medicine students and gain experience within an integrated oral health care setting that reflects today's professional practice.
Community Dental Hygiene Services
Interested in receiving care through UNE’s Dental Hygiene Clinic? Learn about services, appointments, and how our student clinicians serve the community under faculty supervision. Patient services
Experiential Education in Dental Hygiene
- Practice clinical techniques in UNE’s Dental Simulation Lab
- Provide patient care as a student clinician in UNE's state-of-the-art dental hygiene clinic on the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences
- Serve a diverse patient population while delivering a wide range of oral health services
- Gain experience at a clinic that cares for more than 5,000 patients each year
- Participate in interprofessional training with Dental Medicine students in the Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center
- Prepare for medical emergencies through hands-on simulation exercises designed to reflect real-world clinical settings
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 UNE’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
Hear what other UNE alumni have to say about the IPE experience
Manuals
Accreditation
UNE is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.
CODA Solicitation of Comments
90 Day Notice for Solicitation of Comments
The Commission establishes a seven-year cycle for accreditation review. The approximate date for the next validation review of the Dental Hygiene Program by CODA will be September 24–25. The Commission requires the Dental Hygiene Program to solicit third-party comments through the notification of communities of interest and the public, faculty, students, program administrators, specialty and dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers at least ninety (90) days prior to their site visit. The notice should indicate the deadline of sixty (60) days for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office and should stipulate that comments must be signed. Comments must relate to standards and policies. The deadline for comments is July 24, 2024. Signatures will be removed before being forwarded to the school.
Apply Today
Ready to begin your future in UNE’s Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene? Get started today.
