A career as a dental assistant offers many challenges. In addition to assisting the dentist during a variety of procedures, other specific tasks dental assistants may perform include providing instructions for oral care following treatment, performing office management tasks, exposing and processing dental radiographs (x-rays), sterilizing instruments, decontaminating equipment, and taking impressions of patients’ teeth.

The Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene requires a total of 120 credit hours, including 53 hours of prerequisite liberal arts courses with a grade point average of at least a 2.5 and 67 credit hours of professional courses. The prerequisites may not be taken on a pass/fail option and each must show a letter grade of C or better. Remedial courses cannot be used to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Once accepted into the dental hygiene program, the student will enroll in courses designed to provide educational and clinical training necessary for the practice of dental hygiene. Candidates for admission to the program must be high school graduates with a concentration in the sciences or GED equivalent. High school courses in biology and chemistry are necessary for success in the program.